The Hideaway
by Little Miss Isabelle
Summary: Liam Henry is mad.  Liam Henry is on a mission for revenge.  Liam Henry is on a mission to destroy Auggie Anderson.  But will Annie let him?  Now COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone! This is my first fanfic EVER, so I would LOVE lots of reviews to see what you all think! I hope it's not terrible, hehe... I haven't been writing stories in probably 2-3 years, so I'm probably a bit rusty, not to mention the totally new dynamic of messing around with someone else's characters!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. Except for Liam and Juliana, of course. :)  
**

Prologue

Liam Henry swore. The work-calloused flesh of his right fist pounded against the rough-hewn wooden table as the memories flooded his consciousness once again.

He had heard the planes flying overhead. He had known it was a dangerous place in the world, and that it was no place to bring a five-year-old angel. But she had pled. And his wife had batted her doe-eyes at him, and he had said _okay_. She was running toward him, now, pushing open the doors to the building, screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Look what I made you!" Despite the intuitive foreboding, he had smiled. Started walking faster, even. He heard the whistle of the dropping bomb, and his heart froze. Mind-numbing fear. He couldn't even scream her name—and she was none the wiser. The building she hadn't escaped was now engulfed in flames and debris, and it consumed her. She was gone.

She was _gone_.

As he stood to his feet, knocking back the old wooden chair, a strangled sound, a mixture between a groan and a cry, bubbled out of his mouth.

He paced around the room, at a loss for words. He finally sank onto the bed, and reached for the photograph setting on his nightstand. _Juliana Eve Henry_. Her smiling face beamed back at him. She had lost her first tooth, and he had never seen her more proud. Her blue eyes beamed back at him, and her soft red hair fell in tresses around her face like an angel's halo. And that smattering of freckles… She had always said, "Daddy, I hate my freckles. Can't you make them go away?" But he had loved them. They had given her spunk. _And what were you without your spunk, me wee lassie?_ he thought, feeling his heart constrict.

Juliana had been like a sweet song in his heart. The one good thing he had ever done.

Then _they_ had taken her away from him. America, with their misguided sense of hope, adventure, righteousness, and zeal. That zeal had gotten Juliana blown into a million pieces, so many it had been impossible to bury all of her.

Maybe America couldn't pay, but the team of four American soldiers who had discovered his road-side bombs (his first attempt at sweet revenge), concealed by dead carcasses, could. They _would_.

His eyes wandered back to the old computer screen. The report from the file was clear as day. The four names were a promise—his promise to Juliana. He would have his revenge.

His anger billowed in his chest, a raw, malignant cancer, growing each time he read each name, over and over. _Zane Giovanni_. An Italian American, no doubt. Probably loved pizza and movies and everything _American_. _Avery Bennett_. The file said that he had rescued countless children and mothers during his time in Iraq. _Now ain't that precious?_ Liam thought bitterly. Probably was a momma's boy, considered a "good, ole American hero," too. _Gregory St. Nikolai. Rory._ What kind of name was that? And how was it possible for a saint to keep him from revenging the death of the sweetest baby girl in the world?

He read the last name. _August Anderson_. And what was this? Wounded by one of the bombs? Blinded?

Well, wasn't revenge sweet. Maybe there was some hope for Juliana's legacy, after all.

**I don't really want to be one of those writers that craves reviews, but I really want to know what you all think. Review? Pretty please?**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and story alerts… I'm seriously afraid I'm going to let you all down—I feel SO rusty, haha. And if you don't mind, I would love to know what you think of the Auggie/Rory dynamic… Rory seems kinda childish for Auggie, haha, but I can still see them being best friends…**

**And without further ado…**

Chapter 1

Joan Campbell knew it was going to be a bad day when she glanced at the memo regarding the death of Private Gregory St. Nikolai. Auggie had called him Rory. Two yeas ago, they had been best friends.

Now, Auggie Anderson had a new best friend. He would still take it hard. She deposited her purse on her chair and peaked out her office door. She flagged Annie Walker as she walked by, two cups of coffee in hand, on her way to Auggie's office. "Annie?"

Annie spun around. "Yes, Joan?"

"Please tell Auggie I need to speak with him. Right away."

Annie nodded, already on her way. "Yes, ma'am."

Joan returned to her desk and signed onto her encrypted work email as she waited for Auggie to arrive.

A few moments later, a knock sounded on her door, and she called out, "Come in." She logged out of her email for the moment. Auggie deserved her full attention.

"Auggie, sit down," she said, studying his blank expression. He didn't know what was coming. She was known around the DPD for being strict and severe, but breaking up a bond like this? It was a task she wished on no one. "There's a chair two steps in front of you."

He stepped forward and felt for the chair. When his hands closed around the plush back of the tall chair, he skirted around it and sank into its depths, grasping the armrests. He stared blankly in her direction. "What's this about, Joan?" he asked, cocking his head in that curious way he had when he was deep in thought or curious about something.

"Auggie…" She paused. "Auggie, I got a memo today about… Gregory St. Nikolai."

Auggie squinted in thought as he leaned forward, his cane, folded, resting in his lap. "Rory? What about him? And why am I here?"

His questions were well-founded. She knew she was acting uncharacteristically out of character, but this was _Auggie_. And _Rory_. They had been closer than brothers after Auggie's accident. She had met Rory once—he was a good man. He hadn't left Auggie's side for more than a moment in the first week at Walter Reed after they had arrived back in the States.

The words slipped out. "Auggie, Rory's—Rory's _dead_."

The color drained from his face. Joan could tangibly see Auggie's heart sinking to his knees.

A strangled, "_What?_" was his reply, as he gripped his cane tightly. Joan watched the spectrum of emotions fly across Auggie's face—disbelief, horror, anger, grief.

She watched in silence. What else was there to say?

"How?" he finally asked, fingering his cane as his eyes darted across the room, as if he could find the answers he sought.

She cleared her throat, trying to form the words. "The memo says it was a massive heart attack," she explained. "He wasn't able to get medical attention in time, and he died, right in the middle of the restaurant. Waiting for Noelle."

_Noelle_. Rory's girlfriend. Auggie and Rory were still close, and Auggie had known that Rory was about to propose. According to Rory, she had been some girl.

Joan watched as he had opened his mouth, as if to say something, and then thought better of it. "Auggie, I understand if you need time off. Go. Take as long as you need."

He nodded numbly, standing, as if to go. When he reached the door, Joan cleared her throat. "Auggie?"

He stopped, and turned his head to face her more directly. He waited, staring over her left shoulder. He looked almost impatient.

"Auggie… if you need _anything_ just let me know. We're here for you. Okay?"

He nodded and walked out the door, his hand trailing the wall. He didn't trust his four working senses at the moment.

CA

Annie Walker watched Auggie leave Joan's office, looking confused and almost weary. She was about to go see what was wrong, but Jai interrupted her, finding it the perfect opportunity to ask her to lunch. He had turned on the charm, and she had just wanted to push him away.

Something was seriously wrong with Auggie, and all Jai could think about was charming his way into her pants. Most times, she could see the benefits of falling for his wit, charm, and swarthy good looks. But today? Today, he was keeping her from Auggie, and that was not okay.

By the time she'd gotten rid of Jai, Auggie had gathered his suit jacket and a book he had brought to work earlier that day, and was headed toward the exit.

_Auggie?_ she wondered. _What is going on?_

Before she could follow him, to investigate, one of Auggie's techies scurried past her desk. "Joan wants to talk to you in her office," Stu mumbled nervously. "And she doesn't look too happy about it."

Annie tucked the file she had been translating into her desk and locked the drawer. She glanced at Joan's office, all the blinds drawn, and she sighed apprehensively. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought, walking through the mass of desks to her boss's office. She knocked, trying to peer through the slats in the blinds to see Joan's mood before she entered the storm.

"Come in," the voice from within called, emotion masked.

She hesitantly pushed the door open, looking around. "Joan?" she asked. "You wanted to see me?"

Joan sighed quietly and motioned for Annie to enter. "Yes, Annie, sit down." She indicated the chair that Auggie had occupied moments ago. After Annie was settled in comfortably, she began again. "Annie, I need you to do something for me."

Annie's eyebrows rose in curiosity. _This didn't sound like the beginning of a mission briefing, so what was this about?_

Joan began to speak again. "Auggie is having some…" she paused to find the right words. "_Personal_ problems. Has he talked to you about his time in Iraq? Before his accident?"

Annie shook her head. "No."

"He was very close to his team over there. They loved him, and he took care of them. He was like a big brother to them." Joan handed her a picture of Auggie and a young man, possibly a few years younger than Auggie, posing together. Auggie's arm was raised in the air, shaking the football victoriously. Both of them had cheesy grins on their faces, and Annie could see the laughter in Auggie's eyes.

She smiled. "Who's the other guy? Someone in Auggie's team?"

Joan nodded. "Yeah. His name was Gregory St. Nikolai. Auggie always called him Rory." She accepted the photo back from Annie, and handed her another one. This time, it was Rory with a girl. A petite brunette, pretty, shy. They were obviously in love.

"I got a memo this morning that Rory died over the weekend. Saturday, actually. He had a massive heart attack while he was waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. They found an engagement ring in his pocket."

"Oh, no," Annie whispered. Images of Ben's cryptic note entered her mind. Rory's girlfriend could have had the real deal—and then this happened.

Joan nodded. "Yes. When Auggie came back to the States after his accident, Auggie and Rory were best friends. Closer than brothers. Rory wouldn't leave Auggie's side, and he was the only one Auggie really opened up to. Together, they made it through. Shortly after Auggie's accident, Rory quit the military and moved to Toledo, Ohio, where he taught French at a small high school. Auggie and Rory were still close—still talked all the time.

"Auggie's taken some time off to go to Rory's funeral. Annie, you're the best friend Auggie has. I don't want him alone during this time. Can you keep an eye out for him, make sure he's okay? Go to the funeral with him?"

Joan hated to sound so desperate—_that's what she was_, she deprecated herself, _desperate—_but she had always taken a liking to Auggie, always protected him against the sharks. She couldn't protect him now, though, and she needed someone who could. _Annie_ could.

Annie studied Joan's face curiously, gauging her genuineness. _Why was Joan so concerned now? _ "Okay," she said, standing to her feet.

When she reached the door, Joan called out, "Annie?"

Annie turned to look at her boss.

"Thank you," she said, the poised, austere Joan returning to the forefront. A bolstering belief in her eyes, however, made Annie question the motives behind every stern command and glare Joan had ever given.

She smiled her reply and slipped out the door.

CA

Annie knocked on Auggie's door, listening for any hint as to what was happening on the inside. It had been noon before she had been able to get away from Langley, and she was hoping that Auggie was at home still. He hadn't answered any of the times she had called. Some might consider that a sign, but she wasn't giving up on Auggie—no way.

The lock clicked, and the wooden door slowly slid open. Auggie leaned against the wall, looking a little better than a couple hours ago, now dressed in navy sweatpants and an Army tee shirt. "Annie?" he asked, breathing in her perfume.

She crooked a smile, not caring that he couldn't see it. "You got it, pal," she said.

He stepped aside so she could enter. "What are you doing here?" he asked, ambling over to the couch, where he had been sitting earlier. He tucked the photo album back into the box setting on the floor and felt around for the lid.

She watched him slide the box underneath his coffee table. "I… uh," she paused. "Joan told me what happened," she confessed.

Auggie stared blankly at the floor in the middle of the room. "Oh," he finally said.

"She's worried about you," she ventured.

He sighed. "I know."

She came and sat down next to him. "Auggie," she offered, after a moment. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"To the funeral?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah," she said quickly. "Auggie, if you were as close to Rory as Joan said, you don't deserve to be alone right now. Joan has given me the time off, if you want the company."

He stared right at her, studied her, as if he could see her. She squirmed under his scrutiny, feeling foolish, but unable to stop herself. He finally let out the breath he was holding. "Okay," he said finally.

A small, victorious smile inched up her face. She sat back onto the couch, leaning her shoulder against his. They shared the silence familiarly. A moment later, she glanced up into his eyes. "Auggie?" she asked. "What was he like?"

He laughed easily. "Rory… Rory was… I can't explain Rory." He shook his head, and reached for the box he had slid under his coffee table. He reached in and pulled out the photo album. "Noelle—his girlfriend—sent this to me last Christmas. Along with a note written in Braille. Apparently Rory thought he was forgettable, and sent this to me to ensure that I _didn't_ forget."

Annie ran her fingers over the captions written in Braille, attached next to each photo. She smirked as she came upon a photo of Auggie and Rory hiding underneath an office desk, peaking out from behind the chair, grinning goofily up at the photographer. "What's this one about?" she asked.

"Which one?" he asked, feeling for the caption.

Annie guided his hand to the correct photo. "Here. You and Rory are hiding…" She paused to laugh. "Hiding under some desk. It almost looks like it was taken… at Langley?"

His genuine laugh returned, and it reassured Annie. "That's because it was taken at Langley," he explained. "Rory and I both shared a deep dislike for Henry Wilcox and how he ran the agency. Rory was all talk and pranks—never a serious threat for anything. A couple weeks before we left for Iraq, he convinced whoever had gone out on the sandwich run for lunch that day to add jalapeno peppers and lemon juice to Henry's sub… both of which Henry really hates. Of course, Rory had to see the benefits of his prank, but no one wanted to be caught by Henry… so he insisted that we hide under Arthur's desk to hear Henry's roar of disapproval." Auggie rolled his eyes. "Half the time I didn't even know what Rory was doing."

Annie laughed and she nudged his shoulder with her own. "Tell me another story about Rory," she said, continuing to look through the pictures. She'd seen the light reappear in her friend's eyes, and she would do anything to keep that light, that laughter, that love, there.

He thought for a moment, studying the small ballerina figurine that was in the box with his fingers. One of Rory's gifts that would last a lifetime, Annie assumed.

He laughed as he thought of a good one. "Okay. Rory and I met at the Farm," he began. "I remember thinking he was the strangest person I had ever met. He secretly hid this larger-than-life, dirty, old, ratted pink bunny under his bed, sang the Hallelujah Chorus _every_ time he took a shower, despite the multiple protests…"

"Protests?" Annie interjected.

"He sang the soprano part," Auggie supplied with a laugh.

"Oh," she laughed.

"He pranked the trainers, read Dostoyevsky every afternoon, always found a lady to take to dinner every Saturday night, and somehow, he managed to graduate at the top of our class…"

CA

Liam settled back into his hotel bed in downtown Toledo. He reached for the television remote and flipped through the channels until he reached a local news channel as he finished the hamburger he had picked up from the restaurant across the street.

A local reporter was standing in front of Tess's Coffeehouse and Diner, reporting on two-day-old news. The caption at the bottom of the screen announced that she was Valentina Cortez. "Well, Bowen," she was reporting, "behind me is Tess's Coffeehouse and Diner, frequented often by the people of Toledo. Two days ago, however, local Army veteran Private Gregory St. Nikolai was sitting inside, eating a light sandwich while waiting for the arrival of his girlfriend, Noelle Coventry. Suddenly, St. Nikolai collapsed. Dr. Emilia Cordova, an ER doctor, was on-scene, but by the time she reached him, St. Nikolai had passed away…"

Liam's lips locked into a self-satisfied grin as he sampled the French fries, dipping them in the mound of ketchup. _One down, two to go,_ he thought.

His thoughts turned to the tapped conversation he had listened in on a couple moments ago. This was turning out to be easy.

Noelle Coventry had answered her telephone. "Hello?" she had asked, sounding a bit timid and teary-eyed.

A man's voice responded. "Noelle?"

Liam had heard her sigh of relief. "Auggie! I'm so glad you called." She paused. "Are you going to be able to make it to Rory's funeral?"

"Yes," he reassured her easily. "Of course, Elle. Even though Rory and I haven't lived in the same state since the accident, he was my best friend. Of course I'll be there." A moment passed. "Nothing could keep me away," he promised.

Liam had smirked at that. _Americans must be incredibly stupid,_ he thought. Although, in his case, that was a good thing. No one had caught the poison that had ended Gregory St. Nikolai's life so quickly. No man—particularly no saint—would come between him and Juliana's justice.

And it looked like August Anderson would be the next to pay.

He continued to listen to the broadcast. "St. Nikolai's funeral will be held at New Hope Chapel at the corner of Everett Street and Buttonwood Lane on Thursday, October 7, at 10:30 in the morning. It is an open ceremony, and all are invited to attend the celebration of St. Nikolai's life…"

Exactly what he needed to know. He flicked off the television and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 8:42 pm. He had three days of waiting ahead of him. Grabbing his jacket, he slipped out of his room and down to the street, in search of the nearest pub.

**A/N: And ah, I KNOW I said I didn't want to be one of those people that craves reviews, haha, but let's face it—I'm already addicted, haha. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I feel the need to apologize yet again… For some reason, I think I'm addicted to creating new characters… it just seems to billow out of control. That, and I am a HUGE name geek (didn't know they exist? Well, they do, and I am very much one of them…), so if the names don't sound very realistic, haha, it's probably because they're NOT that realistic. haha. I just can't help myself!

So with that being said… here's chapter 2! Please read and review! :)

**Disclaimer:** Recently realized I forgot the disclaimer for Chapter 1… But please, don't sue me! (Literally! hehe) Nothing's mine, and I most DEFINITELY don't profit on it, lol.

Chapter 2

Annie slipped into the guesthouse and closed the door behind her. She lit the raspberry-scented candle on her dresser and flicked on the lamp by her bed. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she walked toward her closet and found her suitcase. She rummaged through her closet, searching for acceptable clothing for her trip to Toledo, Ohio.

She and Auggie were leaving for the airport after lunch tomorrow—and if she was going to read Chloe and Katia a bedtime story like she'd promised the night before, she had to get busy. It was already seven o'clock.

After listening to several of Auggie's Rory stories, she had fixed them both grilled cheese sandwiches and pea soup (it seemed like the perfect idea for a gloomy, cold fall day), and they had gone for a walk at the park a block from Auggie's apartment. As they swung on the swings, Annie had kept Auggie entertained with tales of her last Thursday night dinner, the girls' antics, and her not-so-delightful experience with the bag boy at the grocery store the night before. They had returned to his apartment in time to watch a couple episodes _Hogan's Heroes_ (Auggie appreciated the choice, as he had seen all the episodes growing up, with his family, so he could easily follow what was going on, and Annie—secretly—indulged his guilty pleasure) before Annie had excused herself to go pack.

There was a double knock on her door, and before she could yell, "Come in," the door creaked open tentatively as Danielle called out, "Knock-knock!"

Annie smirked as she turned to look at her big sister. "Hey, Dani."

"Hey, yourself," Danielle replied easily. "We missed you at movie night tonight."

Monday nights were pizza and movie nights. From the girls' proclamation the night before, tonight was to be _How to Train Your Dragon_. Even if she hadn't been in Auggie-crisis-mode, she could have done without the movie. She usually indulged (and secretly loved) her nieces' choice of movies (particularly the Mulan Month of May theme they'd had nearly half a year ago), but she still couldn't understand the appeal behind their pick tonight.

Her stomach grumbled at the thought of Danielle's homemade pizza, though.

Danielle saw the look in her eye, laughed, and replied, "Relax, Annie, we saved you some pizza."

Annie let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you." She folded a lavender blouse she had taken off a hanger. "I'm starving," she admitted, glancing back up at her sister.

Danielle noticed what she was doing. "Business trip?" she asked. "Where to this time?"

Annie shook her head as she reached for a pair of jeans. "Nope. Personal vacation, this time," she said. It wasn't a lie—not really.

Danielle's eyes widened in mock-horror before she laughed at her little sister. "Annie Walker? The workaholic? On vacation? What's the occasion?"

Annie rolled her eyes and threw the pair of socks she had been holding at Danielle, aiming for her face. Danielle caught them with ease. "Yes, I'm on vacation," she finally admitted. "Because I can. It was a bit last-minute, but I'm taking it. For a week."

"You're going to be gone from us _that_ long?" Danielle protested, her mocking horror returning. "The girls will be devastated."

Annie laughed. "I think you're more melodramatic than they are. I don't even know if I'll be gone the whole time."

"So, where are you going?" Danielle asked, sliding off her shoes and sitting on the bed, helping Annie fold her clothes.

"Prague," Annie supplied easily. It bothered her not a little that it was becoming so easy to lie to Danielle, Michael, and the girls. She pushed the thought from her mind, though, knowing this was not the time for such philosophical inner debates.

"Prague?" she asked. "Sounds exciting."

Annie grinned as she glanced over at her sister. "I hope so."

They finished folding the clothes in silence, and they returned to the "big house" (as the girls called it) in time for Annie to have her pizza before indulging the girls in their good-night story.

CA

As the cab pulled up to the street by Auggie's apartment, late morning, the next day, Annie unfastened her seatbelt and leaned forward to speak to the cab driver. "I'll be just a minute," she said, getting out of the car and jogging to the front door.

She easily made her way to the third floor, and knocked on Auggie's door. "Auggie?" she called out as she attempted to push it open, seeing if it was unlocked. She was in luck, and the door slid open easily. "Auggie?" she called again. "Are you almost ready?"

"I'm back here," he called, and she followed the sound of his voice.

She found him in his bedroom, zipping his suitcase shut. He was wearing a pair of jeans and an Old Navy sweatshirt today. How was it possible for him to look _so_ good, even dressed down? She cringed, thinking of her own attire. Even with her dress and her favorite flats, she still looked like a train wreck—her hair dryer had refused to turn on, and Katia had sleepwalked all the way to Annie's guesthouse and climbed in bed (the result? The silly booger hadn't been able to sleep lying still, and she now had the bruises to prove it). "Ready?" she asked, pushing her thoughts away.

He flashed her his heartbreaker smile, and she was glad he was doing even better.

She ambled to his side and slid her arm through his. "Let's go, soldier boy," she teased, and he laughed in reply.

The ride from Auggie's apartment to Dulles was short and filled with Annie's over exaggerated tales of Danielle, Chloe, and Katia the night before—Danielle's vows that Annie would find a "cultured European hunk," Chloe's pleas for bedtime story after bedtime story, and Katia's guest appearance in Annie's guesthouse at eleven that evening.

When they arrived at the passenger drop-off area, Annie paid the driver, and they picked up their luggage. As Auggie handed Annie her suitcase, nearly dropping it on his own feet when he misjudged its weight, he teased, "What did you put in that thing? Bricks or something?"

Annie snorted good-naturedly, her grin breaking through. "C'mon," she urged, slipping her arm through his. "We're going to be late."

Laughing, he let her pull him toward the Southwest line. As they waited in line, she whispered her commentary on the other to-be passengers—the young couple, in love; the adorable twin four-year-old girls (Annie said their mother called them Bella and Ari) in their tutus, practicing their plies; the lonely teenage girl with scars on her wrists cowering away from a middle-aged man; the eighties-something, hard-of-hearing grandmother, alternately shouting that she needed her granddaughter's ticket changed to first-class _right away_ and that the clerk needed to _speak up_ because he wasn't talking loud enough; the nearly-poised businessman dancing to the music streaming to his ears, mouthing the words. It left Auggie with a strange desire to see again, if only to see the world the way Annie Walker did.

The rest of the process went quite easily, and half an hour later, they were seated at Gate C20, sharing a packet of over-priced chocolate chip cookies and the earbuds of Annie's iPod, the sound of Mingus floating between them.

CA

Auggie was getting to the good part of Alexandre Dumas's _The Three Musketeers_ when something hard _thudded_ against his right shoulder. He groaned, trying to figure out what it was.

Soft hair the smell of lavender, soft breathing in an even cadence, a hint of perfume. Annie.

Or, her head, anyway.

The corners of his lips lifted into a smile. The first thought that entered his mind was that his best friend had a _really _hard head. The second: Katia must have kept her up half the night. His head turned to face her, as if he could have seen her, and he whispered a kiss against the crown of her head.

He wasn't sure why—it just seemed like the thing to do. After all, she had dropped everything (including that interesting case brewing that included undercover work in Greece) to help him. _Maybe it was gratitude._

He turned his attention back to his book, but as he found the weariness of the past forty-eight hours taking over, his head lowered to rest on Annie's, and his book fell into his lap as sweet sleep found the protector that never rests.

CA

When Noelle Coventry opened the door to the five-bedroom home her parents had left to her before they had moved overseas, she had braced herself. She had been inundated with flowers, cards, sympathy, and smothering over the past couple of days, and, frankly, she was getting sick of it. She had never loved being around tons of people, and sharing her grief with the world was not for her. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes at the thought of the _only_ one she wanted to share her grief with.

_Rory's gone_, she reminded herself, sniffing and wiping her eyes before she pulled the door open.

She had never actually met Auggie Anderson, Rory's famed best friend, but she'd seen pictures and talked to him a few times over the phone, especially since she'd arrived at Tess's bakery to find it swarming with emergency services and the love of her life, collapsed at a table in the middle of it all. "Auggie?" she asked, hating her teary voice and the sniffles she couldn't keep away.

"Ella?" he asked in reply.

She managed a genuine smile through her sorrow and reached out to hug him. "Yeah, it's me," she replied, turning to shake Annie's hand. "Hi," she offered, wiping her eyes again. "I'm such a royal mess… Sorry. I'm Noelle Coventry… I was Rory's girlfriend. Please, call me Ella."

Annie shook her hand, smiling gently. "Hi," she said in turn. "I'm Annie Walker, Auggie's friend."

Noelle stepped back. "Please come in. I prepared rooms for you upstairs… I wasn't sure…" She blushed as she glanced between them. "I didn't know if, well, if you were together. If you want to share a room, you can, but I prepared two, just in case."

Annie reassured her with an easy smile. "It's okay—we're just friends."

She nodded, leading them upstairs. The house was airy, filled with natural light, beautiful French landscape paintings, and flowers everywhere. The railing for the spiral staircase had a chain of daisies interwoven between the rungs, and Annie was mesmerized by the ocean landscape mural that covered the south wall of the upstairs hallway.

Ella managed a grin as she trailed her fingers on the mural. "Like it?" she said, pride in her voice.

"Yeah," she managed, studying it further.

Ella grinned, wider now. "My little sisters and I painted it two years ago. Just before I met… Rory."

"It's beautiful," Annie murmured. "How old are your sisters?"

"Six and seven," she supplied, smiling easily at the thought of them. "Leila and Emmeline. They're both at school now, but you'll probably see them tonight."

Annie smiled. "I have two nieces back at home. A bit older, but I miss them already."

Ella smiled as she pushed open the door to the room Auggie would be staying in. "My parents moved to Russia four years ago to serve as missionaries. Wyatt, Leila, and Emmy didn't want to leave. And I couldn't stand the thought of parting with them. I already had a fairly steady income with my paintings, so I knew I could provide for them. So I took them in."

"Wyatt is your brother?"

She smiled. "Yeah. He's seventeen." She turned her attention back to the matter of their accommodations. "Auggie, this is your room. The bathroom is one door down, on the opposite wall from your room. I'm sorry to say, I really don't know what you need to do to feel comfortable… do you need me to guide you around, or will you be okay?"

Auggie offered her an understanding smile. "It's okay, Ella. Annie will walk me around so I get the lay of the land."

Ella nodded with an appreciative smile, not stopping to think that it would be lost on Auggie. "Oh, and Annie, your room is directly across the hall." She walked over and pushed the door open. "If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs. I still have a million details to sort for the funeral on Thursday."

Annie squeezed her hand gently, reassuringly, and Auggie murmured his thanks. As Ella descended the stairs, Annie said, "I'm going to drop off all my stuff in my room—I'll be over in a couple minutes? Then we'll figure our way around here."

Auggie nodded, already exploring his room with his hands and his cane, his luggage momentarily forgotten.

Annie closed the door to her room and lifted her suitcase to her bed. She removed her make-up bag and walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall. As she touched up her make-up, she thought how this was so different from all her other missions.

This mission wasn't sanctioned by the CIA, and it didn't involve hand-to-hand combat, stealing international secrets, or "simple" brush passes. That didn't make it any less of a mission, though. Auggie needed her help, and she wouldn't let him down.

No way.

CA

Avery Bennett pushed open the front door to his house, calling out, "Lily? Are you home?" He glanced around as he pushed the front door closed.

His wife appeared from the direction of their son's room. "Shhhh," she whispered with an exhausted sigh. "I just got Charlie to bed!"

He grinned as he reached for her, kissing her softly. "Forget about Charlie for a second," he whispered.

She laughed at him, rolling her eyes, and swatted his shoulder playfully. "All of South Carolina knows you have about as much time for that as I do. You promised to go visit Mrs. Barlow and the girls before you meet the guys at the church for prayer meeting, remember? Not to mention you've been promising to email Elder Johannes back since last Friday."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Lil, you act like I never do my job," he protested sarcastically, teasingly.

She laughed, kissing his cheek. "Dinner'll be ready in ten minutes. Go. Check your email."

Avery rolled his eyes again. "Fine. But you'll owe me later," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. She had come to expect nothing serious to ever come out of the mouth of Avery Bennett—except when he was Pastor Avery. Then—then he was kind, and truthful, and selfless.

She loved both Avery Bennetts.

He winked at her as he passed her, heading toward their bedroom. As he waited for the computer to boot up, he ambled over to the door of Charlie's bedroom, resting his shoulder against the doorjamb as he watched his ten-month-old son's little chest rise and fall in cadence with his easy breathing. He smirked at the awkward position Charlie found so comfortable—his little arms thrown over his head, little hands gripping the railing of his crib, his one leg pointing straight up, the other leg flung against the side of his crib. Charlie surprised him every day.

Avery's heart welled with love for the little man as he tore himself away, opening Firefox and signing into his email. He recognized the daily forwards from his grandmother, Zane's reply to his last email, the email from Elder Johannes, and an email coupon for his favorite Italian restaurant. What he didn't recognize, however, was an email from a Thomas St. Andrews. _St. Andrews?_ he thought. _I don't know a Thomas St. Andrews_. The subject line read "Rory St. Nikolai, Auggie Anderson, and Zane Giovanni." Avery's heart jerked to his throat. _What was this about?_

Curious, he clicked to open the message, and a white-hot fear laced his veins as he read the message.

_Pastor Avery Bennett,_

_I know who you are. I know what you did in Iraq. Tikrit is only the beginning._

_Watch your back._

_Your friend,_

_Thomas_

He stealed himself against the memories of a lifetime ago. The long days investigating those roadside bombs, the lonely nights with minimal contact with Lily, the hot weather, all culminating to the moment that Auggie Anderson had been blinded by that bomb, sending them all home. Iraq had been their hell, but Auggie Anderson had made it bearable.

It had only been two years ago, but it felt like a lifetime. Since then, he had finished his theology degree, married the only girl ever meant for him… and now they had _Charlie_.

His mind spun at the implications. Who was this Thomas? Would he come after Lily and Charlie, too?

Too shaken up to reply to Elias Johannes's persistent inquiries over when there would be enough money to renovate the church's foyer tonight, he closed out of the internet and slowly stumbled into the kitchen-dining room area. He looked haggard, and Lily immediately noticed. "Avery?" she asked, rushing to his side. "Avery, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thoughts racing through his mind. The thought of some vindictive monster coming after him, his little church he loved so much, his _son_—bitter bile made him want to gag. If _anything_ happened to Charlie…

His thoughts turned to Lily—his sweet, selfless, adorable, endearing wife that loved him when he was unlovable. _What would that monster do to Lily?_ He felt tears burning in the back of his eyes, but he steeled them back, refusing to give into the fear. He would _not_ let some monster have his way with his wife, and he was _not_ going to even get near Lily. No way.

"Nothing," he groaned, wrapping his sweet wife in a hug. His crushing, holding-on-for-dear-life hug told her otherwise, but she said nothing. "I love you, babe," he whispered fiercely, feeling his heartbeat slow as _Lily_ invaded his fear—her sweet perfume, her reassuring strength, the way she buried her face in the crook of his neck, the way she _loved_ him, and he didn't even need to ask her to prove it to know it.

"I love you, too," she whispered, knowing something was up, but not knowing what to say. "Are you going to be okay?" she whispered, fear lacing her own tone.

He leaned back to kiss her sweetly, reassuringly. "Yeah, babe," he whispered, the fear receding. "We're gonna be just fine."

But deep inside of his heart, Avery Bennett _knew_ they would not be fine… and he wondered how he was going to switch from the role of _shepherd_ to _protector_. And how he was going to revive Avery the Warrior. He hadn't been that man in a long time, and he wasn't sure it was someone he wanted to be. He had seen a lot of awful things when he was Avery the Warrior.

_This is not going to be easy,_ he thought.

**A/N:** Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Seriously, everybody, thanks so much for all the reviews and alerts! I really expected this to be a flop, lol—I'm so surprised (and happy!) that you love this story so much!

I just have a quick question, though… Does anybody know why everyone references Annie's Jo Malone Grapefruit perfume so much? Especially since Annie explains in the beginning of Walter's Walk (when they were all moving to the new DPD) that she had changed perfumes? I'm just really curious about that, haha. If anybody's curious, it's the reason I haven't brought it up when I've described Annie…

**Disclaimer:** NOT mine!

Chapter 3

The door that led from the garage into the kitchen flung open with a _bang_, the doorknob denting the wooden cabinet. A cascade of childish magnets (and the papers they held up) tumbled to the linoleum kitchen floor, the shouts of two blond-and-blue-eyed wonders invaded the silence of the house. "Noelly! Noelly!"

Ella laughed as she came to greet her little sisters. "Hey-hey!" she laughed, lifting Leila, the youngest of the three sisters, into the air and reaching down to kiss Emmy before grabbing her hand. "How was ballet?"

"BOOORING," Leila complained, wrapping her skinny arms around Noelle's neck, and giving her big sister an Eskimo kiss.

"Boring?" Ella asked, aghast. "I thought you loved ballet!"

Emmy giggled beside her. "That's _me_, silly. Besides, Leila likes ballet. We just miss… Daddy."

"Daddy?" Ella asked. "Didn't you talk to him when he called last night?"

Emmy shook her head. "No… Noelly! Your friend. Leila and I called him Daddy."

Tears sprang to Noelle's eyes. She and Rory had agreed that he wouldn't move in, because he hadn't wanted to hurt Emmy and Leila if, by some horrible chance, it hadn't worked out. Yet, Rory was probably the only real father figure the girls would remember. "Oh," she said, lifting both girls to their favorite perch on the counter. She leaned in to kiss Emmy's forehead. "Well, I miss him, too, baby girl." Her lips twitched into an attempt at a smile. "Do you still want to sing for the funeral?"

They both nodded their heads exaggeratedly, and Ella smiled. "Okay. Do you know what you want to sing?"

The two girls glanced at each other, and grinned. Together, they began to sing the 23rd Psalm, and Ella listened with pride. "You sound _so_ beautiful!" she exclaimed when they finished. "Are you hungry? Supper's almost ready."

At that moment, Auggie and Annie came downstairs from their walkabout. "Hello!" the girls greeted cheerfully.

Annie smiled. "You must be Emmy and Leila!"

Leila scowled at Annie momentarily. "How did you know that?"

Annie laughed. "Your sister told me."

Ella laughed, too. "Emmy, Leila, this is Annie and Auggie. They're gonna stay with us for a little bit. Auggie was Rory's best friend."

Their eyes grew wide. "You knew Daddy?" they whispered in awe.

Auggie glanced at Annie, clearly wanting support. He looked like a doe caught between headlights, and it made Annie want to laugh. His words from a little over a year ago came back to her. _Anything involving a third grade class is an automatic no! It's your constitutional right. You can say no to line dancing, karaoke, duckpin bowling with your Aunt Louise… and anything coming out of Jai Wilcox's mouth…_ She smirked, thinking how that one had come back to bite him in the butt. She turned her attention to the girls, waiting expectantly. "You _know_," she said conspiratorially, "Auggie was Rory's _best_ friend. They traveled all over the world, doing many awesome things, always making everyone laugh." Her eyes twinkled as she acknowledged Auggie, who was digging his fingers into her bicep.

The girls' eyes widened with pleasure. "Really?"

Annie laughed. "_Really._ And you know what else?" she prompted.

"What?" they asked, their eyes transfixed on the couple.

"Auggie _loves_ to play hide-and-seek!"

Annie barely heard his groan of disapproval over the squeals of delight coming from the kitchen counter.

Ella just laughed.

"Noelly, can we? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" Leila pled.

"I don't see why not," she replied. "Wyatt should be home soon, and then we'll have supper. Just don't get Auggie lost."

Ella helped them down from the counter, and Emmy said, "Mr. Auggie, you count to fifty, 'kay?"

Auggie groaned again. "Okay."

When Annie attempted to get away from Auggie's grasp, to help Ella fix the rest of dinner, Auggie's grip on her arm tightened. "No way, missy. You got me into this—you're getting me out."

Annie laughed. "Auggie—" She was going to tell him that she didn't expect him to stumble around the house, searching for two very bright little girls, all by his lonesome, but she decided to bite her tongue. "Nevermind." She came back to his side. "Are you going to count, or do I have to?"

He laughed, and started counting. "One, two, three…" They heard squeals of laughter as the girls ran to their favorite hiding places. "Ready or not, here we come!" he shouted after he finished counting to fifty.

She slid her arm through his, and they headed off down the hall. The first thing Annie noticed was that Emmy and Leila were horrible at this game. They were still giggling and snickering and whispering to each other—as if they expected Auggie to be deaf as well as blind. Recalling the games she had played with Chloe and Katia, she agreed to play along. She tugged Auggie with her as she headed in the opposite direction of the giggling—slowly pushing open a door that ended up being Ella's office. "Hmm… I wonder if they're in here…" she teased.

Auggie could tell what she was doing, and didn't have the heart to stop her. He thought that _gratitude_ that he'd felt earlier was billowing, because after a lifetime of vowing off having a family and children, he actually didn't mind playing hide-and-seek with Annie. Liked it, actually.

She had taken a week that he had thought would be the worst he had ever known, and now he was playing hide-and-seek with what would have been Rory's children… her perfume tickling his nose, her teasing laughter healing the wounded parts of his soul.

Talk about vacation.

They made their way into the laundry room, and Annie peaked under the countertop. The girls were hiding in their respective laundry baskets. "Found you!" Annie called, and they squealed. She momentarily let go of Auggie's arm and pulled the baskets out into the open. Annie threw Leila into the air, catching her on the way down. Leila squealed her delight.

Emmy was reaching her arms out to Annie. "Do me! Do me! It's my turn!"

Annie acquiesced, just once, and then they were on their way back to the dining room. "Now it's _your_ turn to hide!" the girls squealed.

Ella grinned over the heads of her two sisters to Annie and Auggie, and Annie laughed. She leaned in, close to Auggie's ear. "See? This isn't so bad."

The sound of her voice in his ear did strange things to his heart. Swallowing hard, he managed to say, "Yeah… guess not."

"One, two, three…" the girls cried gleefully.

Annie grinned and tugged Auggie with her. "C'mon, soldier boy," she whispered. "I know just the place…"

CA

As Auggie climbed out of their rental car, he called out, "Annie?"

The corners of her lips lifted into a sad smile. "Right here, pal," she said softly, slipping her arm through his, hugging his bicep. He almost looked haggard again, and she was worried about him. "I'm right here, whatever you need."

He let her take the lead, and she led him towards the front entrance of the church. Rory's body was resting in the sanctuary, surrounded by pictures of his life. "Come a little this way," she directed. "I don't want you to walk into the door."

She managed to get a short-lived smirk out of that comment, followed by that sullen weariness. She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Everything's going to be okay," she whispered, wishing she could make it so. "I'm not going anywhere," she felt inclined to add.

She slid her hand down his arm and intertwined her fingers with his. Sometimes, being led wouldn't be enough.

She was grateful he didn't pull away.

She led him through the double doors that led into the sanctuary. "Where to next, soldier boy?" she asked.

He nodded to what he hoped was the front of the church. "I want to see Rory."

She nodded and led him through the sea of people to where Rory lie. When Auggie's hand, exploring, found his friend's shoulder, his face contorted into a look so painful it made Annie want to cry. "Rory," he whispered, still holding Annie's hand. Clinging to it, now. "Rory, what happened to you?"

Annie's heart cinched as she was enveloped by Auggie's pain. "How are we ever going to take down Henry now?"

It struck him as odd—the first regret being that they hadn't royally embarrassed Henry Wilcox together—but there it was. "Ror, Ella is amazing. No wonder you were about to propose," he said. "I'll take care of her. And the girls. They called you Daddy yesterday. Did you know that? You must have made some impression."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the ballerina figurine. "I want you to have this," he said softly. This time, almost so softly that Annie couldn't hear. "It'll be no use to me anymore, anyway." He paused. "Bye, Rory," he whispered, and they turned away.

Annie led them to a pew to sit down, and they rested for a while.

Leila skipped over to them a few moments later. "Hello, Mr. Auggie," she said cheerfully.

He had been staring off into space—or, at least, that's what it looked like. Annie noticed that he looked almost started at Leila's greeting. "Hey, sweetie," she said, waiting for Auggie to respond. In light of his deep grief, she almost felt bad for making him play hide-and-seek the night before.

But then she saw his face brighten a little with an attempt at a smile, and it warmed her heart. She knew Auggie couldn't hate kids forever.

"Hi, Leila," he faltered.

She came around the pew and climbed into Auggie's lap. For a moment, his gaze flew to Annie's general direction, looking lost, but then he slid his arms around Leila to hold her tight. He found it strangely soothing.

"How did you know it was me?" she whispered. "Emmy and me sound exact-ically alike!"

Annie and Auggie laughed. "He has a spidey sense," Annie shared conspiratorially. "At least, that's what Rory said."

Leila stared up at him in awe. "Are you Spiderman?" she asked in wonder.

Auggie snorted. "No way." Annie giggled—quite loudly—and he shoved his elbow into her ribcage. What was she trying to do to him? Next thing he knew, he would be surrounded by all the kids in Ohio, pleading for an exhibition of Spiderman.

At that moment, Ella and Emmy came to join them. Wyatt followed at a safe distance, grumbling and uncomfortable in his suit.

"Emmy!" Leila hissed. "Mr. Auggie's Spiderman!"

Emmy's eyes widened, and she ran the last few feet to them. "Mr. Auggie, you're Spiderman? For _real_?"

Auggie threw a pointed look at Annie. _Look what you've done_, he accused silently, but all Annie and Ella could do were howl with laughter. _Lots of help they are_.

"_No_, Emmy, I am _not_ Spiderman," he said, making sure he emphasized the negatives. All he needed was a Spiderman following with no place to hide away from it all.

Ella laughed good-naturedly. "Thank you for coming, Auggie," she said softly. "And thank you for being so good with my girls," she added, after they had scampered off for their next adventure. "I'm worried for them, now that Rory's gone."

The corners of his lips tilted upward in an attempt at a genuine smile. "My pleasure. They're adorable," he added. He knew Annie would attack him for it later, but he couldn't help himself. They were.

Annie watched as person after person, group after group, came to greet Auggie and offer their condolences. Auggie and Rory, the dynamic duo, hadn't been easily separated, and if they had known Rory, they had most likely known Auggie, too.

One man, however, caught Annie's eye as her attention wandered. Most mingled, shed tears, hugged each other, shared stories, studied the pictures. Not this man. He sat off to the side, never moving, just watching Auggie. _An old friend?_ she hoped.

His brooding glare made her think otherwise.

She was starting to get _really_ worried when the man stood and began walking toward them. _What was he up to?_

Relief seeped into every bone of her body when he turned, walked down the center aisle of the sanctuary, and walked out of the building.

She turned to Auggie, who was saying his good-byes to some couple that he must have known from somewhere else. "Hey, Aug?" she whispered.

He turned to her general direction. "Hmm?"

"Do you know a really buff, tall guy? Probably 6'2", really built? Wavy red hair?"

He squinted, trying to remember. "Not that I can recall… why?"

She bumped his shoulder with hers reassuringly. "There was a guy that just left. Fit his description. He was just staring at you." She paused, slipping her arm through his protectively. "Probably nothing," she added, forcing her voice to sound light. "Jealous ex-boyfriend, or something."

Auggie smirked in her general direction. "Probably."

Annie noticed that everyone was starting to file out of the church. "Ready to go, pal? Looks like everyone's clearing out."

He nodded. "Okay."

CA

Avery logged onto his email again, this time, hoping for something a little less sinister than the last time he had checked his email, thanks to his wife's prompting. He had emailed Zane later the same evening, asking him about the email. Hoping it was a hoax. He had emailed Rory and Auggie, too, but didn't know if he should expect a reply. Avery and Zane had always been closer to each other than Auggie and Rory had been.

Relief filled him from head to toes when he saw Zane's email. He opened it quickly.

_Avery Gravery,_

_Has that religious stuff all gone to your head, pal? What are you even talking about? A peculiar email from a stranger? What's that supposed to mean?_

_Dude, what you have with Lily and Charlie is special. Don't blow it by reviving all those crazy conspiracy theories you always used to bring up in Iraq._

Avery snorted at the email. Zane's teasing usually was taken in kind, but with all their lives in danger, he really didn't want to take any chances. He pulled up the mystery email and decided to forward it to his friend. _See?_ he wrote at the top. _Proof. I think someone is after the four of us. And I'm worried about Lily, Charlie, and everybody else we care about. I tried to email Rory and Auggie, but neither of them replied yet. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do. I'm not that warrior anymore, Zane. But I'm so worried about Lily and Charlie…_

As he sent off the email, his heart ached. All he had done in Iraq was try and stop bombs from going off and rescue innocent women and children. He hadn't wanted to hurt _anybody_. So why was someone now coming after him and some of the best guys he had ever known?

**A/N:** Review pleaseeee! :)


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews and alerts, again! I'm so glad you all are enjoying this, because I'm REALLY starting to love writing this story. :)

A few announcements, though... I'm incredibly gullible, haha, so when I started dreaming (yes, _dreaming!_) about feeling awful for not sharing that I got a few ideas from other author's stuff... I figured it was time to fess up, lol. Don't kill me if normal people don't do this, lol. But I wasn't doing it to purposely steal their stuff—I just thought it was so fabulous for my story! haha. Anyway, so a special thanks to Beth – Geek Chick for "On the Strand," which really inspired a few Annie/Auggie moments, and Indecisively Yours's "Acta Sanctorum," which inspired a scene in this episode, and I don't remember where I saw the detail about Auggie opening his eyes, but I'm afraid I stole that, too. And that's it. haha. Sorry if normal people don't have as guilty a conscience as I do sometimes, lol.

And ah, I am EXTREMELY PG rated, haha, just warning you, so if the more romantic scenes seem kinda, well, unrealistic and really tamed down, it's because they are. Please don't hate me! haha.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 4

Annie was still texting Danielle at 10:30, figuring the contact would keep Dani's nosiness at bay. They had grabbed a late supper at Taco Bell and returned to Ella's home after Rory's viewing. Auggie had retreated to his room, and she heard the television in his room running while she told Dani all about her day—sleeping in late, exploring the area around Charles Bridge, finding some adorable trinkets for the girls (immediately after texting that, she regretted it. Where would she get authentic Czech souvenirs from Prague?), and loving the Czech food.

Her heart flew into her throat when she heard crashings come from the room across the hall. After the mysterious redhead at the viewing, she was more than a little worried about something strange happening to Auggie. She dropped her phone on her bed and pushed through Auggie's door without knocking.

She was horrified by the image she came across. The covers of Auggie's bed were ripped out from being tucked under the mattress—half strewn across the floor—a wooden chair had been overturned, an old metal box was thrown against the floor, its contents (papers?) spilled onto the floor, the shade of the lamp on the nightstand sitting kilter to its usual angle. Half of Auggie's clothes were strewn across the floor. In the middle of it, Auggie had sunk to the ground, hugging his knees, as he rocked himself back and forth. Blood was oozing from a long gash on his left forearm and a swollen bump on his temple.

She rushed to him, horrified. "Auggie?" she demanded, again, fear balling in her throat. She could barely breathe, much less talk. "Auggie, what happened?"

He nodded his head toward the television. The end of a broadcast about Rory's death was wrapping up. She listened for a moment while the pompous commentator complained about how soldiers of the Iraq war were simply yellow-bellied sissies, and the government funding had been all for naught. Even worse, they accused Rory St. Nikolai of being a self-serving mercenary who decided to go the humanitarian route his last few years on earth, and how the heart attack that claimed his life was a well-deserved attempt at revenge.

She quickly flicked off the television and ran to the bathroom to find hydrogen peroxide and bandages for his wounds. She grabbed a few tissues for his tears on the way back to Auggie's room. Helping him to a safer perch on the edge of the bed, she pressed a tissue into his right hand, and she began to wipe away the blood from his forehead. "Auggie…" her voice sounded weary and sad. "How did it get to be such a mess in here?"

A strangled sound rose from his throat, and Annie steadied his head with one hand as she wiped his forehead clean with the other. "Hold still," she whispered gently.

She applied antibacterial ointment to the bandage as he tried to explain. "They were _ripping_ Rory apart! Annie, how could they do that?" his voice sounded like a wounded little child's. It freaked her out. "If they only _knew_ all the good things that Rory did for the world. He was a _hero_, and they were tearing him apart like lunchmeat!"

Annie pushed the hair out of his face and gently applied the bandage to his forehead. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I know," she whispered soothingly. "I know."

She went to work on his arm while he continued his feeble tirade. "It was _Rory_, Annie! All I want to do is grieve the loss of my friend in peace… can't they understand that? They won't even let me say good-bye without trying to destroy him!"

He looked so confused, so weary, so lonely… nothing like the strong, stalwart Auggie she had depended on for the past two years. Her heart broke for him. She applied the last bandage to his arm and pulled him into a tight hug. "Auggie…" _What was there possibly to say to that? _The world was cruel, and she didn't know how to defend the goodness.

She guided him to the overturned chair, turning it upright. As he sat, she made his bed and hummed a song her mother had taught her as a little girl. She couldn't even remember what it was called, but it had soothed her, and she hoped it would soothe Auggie, too.

She guided him back to the bed gently and promised to return. She slipped into her own room, texted Dani that an emergency had come up and would let her know when she could talk again, and grabbed the _Hogan's Heroes_ DVD case she had borrowed from Auggie before they left to come to Ohio. When she re-entered Auggie's room, she said with a hopeful smile, "Guess what I found?"

His sad eyes seemed to follow her around the room, but he didn't say anything.

She started the DVD and carried the remote back to Auggie's bed. She slid off her slippers and climbed onto the bed next to him as she waited for the DVD to begin playing. As the theme song filled the room, a small smile lifted the corners of his lips.

She smiled quietly. "Auggie, I may not be able to make all the evil things go away, but I won't leave you to battle them alone. I promise."

"Thanks, Annie." He paused. "My mom used to always let us watch _Hogan's Heroes_ whenever we were sick or had a bad day… I… just… Thank you."

She smiled. "You got it, pal," she said softly, and pulled him against her side. As they sat that way, listening to the nearly fifty-year-old antics, Auggie fell asleep at her side. She didn't have the heart to move him or turn off the television. She smoothed his hair away from the bandage on his forehead absentmindedly as she watched the rest of the episode, starting to fall asleep herself. Flicking off the lamp by the bed, she turned down the volume and slid into sweet sleep.

CA

When Annie awoke the next morning, she was aware of a hand intertwined with hers. Slowly blinking against the light, her eyes adjusted to the morning sun. Auggie's face was inches from her own.

_Auggie's face?_ Memories from the night before faded into her consciousness.

So then it must be Auggie's hand, holding hers. His thumb, gently caressing her hand. His knees resting against hers. Was Auggie the one who had draped the blanket over her?

It was a tenderness she had never seen in him. Her heart melted for him. _Auggie…_

She watched as he slowly stirred, waking up. His eyes were still closed, though, and he looked so peaceful.

If only he could be that peaceful always.

Slowly, as he became more alert, his eyes fluttered open, and his eyes searched the room, as if, hope against hope, _this_ time he would wake up with his sight restored. When he realized he _couldn't_, disappointment filled his features. It made _her_ want to weep.

"Mornin', sleepin' beauty," she whispered.

He looked startled, as if he hadn't known someone else was in the room. "Annie?"

She laughed. "Well, who'd you expect I'd be?"

He managed that old, familiar, easy laugh that she loved so much. "Feel better?" she asked, thinking of last night and how it had made herwant to cry.

He slowly nodded. "Yeah. What time is it?" he asked, sitting up.

She glanced at her watch. "Nine o'clock. We need to hurry. The funeral's in an hour and a half."

She folded the blanket that had generously covered her during the night and pulled the door open. "I'll meet you downstairs?" she offered. She had taken a shower after they had returned the night before, so she figured she would be ready before he was.

He nodded, making his way to his suitcase. "Annie?" he asked, before she could shut the door.

"Yeah?" she returned softly, one hand on the door, the other on the doorjamb, as she peaked in.

"Thanks," he murmured.

She wanted to kiss him for that sweetly sad, sincere look. Her feet remained planted to the ground, though. "No problem, pal," she returned, slipping into the hallway and pulling the door shut behind her.

CA

When Annie and Auggie arrived at the church a little over an hour later, they found that Ella, Wyatt, and the girls had saved them seats on the front pew. They slid into their seats, and Leila and Emmy climbed onto their laps. As she wrapped her arms around sweet little Leila, she glanced over at her best friend. His good arm was wrapped around Emmy, his left arm hanging by his side. She followed his lead and slipped her right hand into his and squeezed gently.

He turned his head in her direction and managed a weak smile. _Thank you, Annie_. She could see the words in his eyes. _Thank you for not abandoning me. Thank you for carrying me through this._

She wished he could see, just so he could see her reply.

_No problem, pal_. How many times had she said it in the past couple days? It didn't matter.

What wouldn't she give for Auggie?

The pastor stepped to the podium, carrying his Bible with him. He began to read. "The Word of the Lord says in I Thessalonians 4:13-14, 'But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus…'" The lean young man looked up from his worn Bible, and his eyes fell on every member of the congregation. "Let us pray."

The service progressed with more reading of Scripture, prayers, messages of hope. At one point, Ella rose to her feet, teary-eyed, and spoke of Rory, his heart, his goodness, his love. When her heart was too broken to continue, Wyatt supported her, and spoke into the microphone. "Rory—Rory was the best man I could have ever asked for to love my sister." He glanced at Ella. "My sisters. He loved Ella like there was no other woman in the world, and he cared enough to become _daddy_ to Emmy and Leila. He taught me how to speak French, how to defend myself, how to treat a girl with respect, how to always hope, how to always have fun. Rory was _my_ father, after my parents left America. That's the kind of man he was. And, for Rory's sake… and ours… please don't ever forget the kind of man he was to you." His arm around Ella's, he guided her back to her seat.

A moment later, one of Rory's French students stood and began to read a poem she had written for him. Later yet, Emmy and Leila timidly slid off of Annie's and Auggie's laps, and walked to the stage. The pastor handed them a microphone to share, and they belted out their song, watching Ella for hope and approval. When they finished, teary-eyed, Ella nodded her approval, and Emmy handed the pastor the microphone again. They held each other's hand as they walked to the casket, and, on tippy-toe, pressed kisses to their little hands, and tapped their little hands to his shoulder—the farthest they could reach. "Bye-bye, Daddy," they whispered. "We love you." Bravely, they walked back to where Annie and Auggie were sitting, and climbed onto their laps.

Annie hugged Leila tight. "You did so good, sweetie," she whispered. "You know you're daddy would be so proud of you, right?"

Leila nodded, her lower lip trembling.

Annie hugged her tight, rocking her back and forth. As Emmy sobbed into Auggie's chest, he followed suit.

The service finished soon after that, and they all wandered out to the cemetery, behind the church. The pallbearers carried Rory's body to the site, and they all gathered under the little tent pitched over Rory's gravesite. The young pastor stood at the head of the casket and began to speak from his heart, sharing the good life Rory had led.

Leila, who was perched on Annie's hip, clung to her neck, and Annie hugged her tighter. Her hand slid into Auggie's when she saw the mysterious redheaded stranger, shoulder propped against a massive birch tree, legs crossed at the ankles, arms crossed across his chest. He was staring right at Annie and Auggie.

Tentacles of fear coiled around Annie's heart.

"He's back," Annie hissed in his ear, fear lacing her tone. She let Leila slide to the ground next to her, and reached for her hand. Annie reached into her pocket for her phone, and snapped a picture of the mystery man. _Who are you?_ she wondered anxiously.

She tugged Auggie and the girls deeper into the large crowd, hidden behind some of the taller men in front of them. She wasn't usually a praying woman, but she found the words _Help us, God,_ escaping her lips.

She quickly typed a message to Jai.

_Prolly nothing. Can you check this out? Who is this man?_ She attached the photo to the text message and sent it along its way.

She glanced between the two men in front of her to the birch where he had been smirking a few moments before. _Gone_.

She spun around, half expecting him to be carrying a knife, pricking into Auggie's neck. She shivered at the thought.

_Gone_.

She slid her arm through Auggie's as she tried to pay attention to the minister's prayer, but the image of a very pale Auggie, knife protruding from chest, sprawled out in a six-foot cemetery grave, the breath rasping out of his weak body, made her weak with fear.

That wouldn't happen. That _couldn't_ happen. Not to _her_ Auggie.

_Please, no,_ she pled silently.

She _needed_ Auggie.

CA

Avery sat down at his computer, dreading looking at his email, now. What if Zane still didn't believe him? What if Thomas St. Andrews was already in South Carolina? Already watching him and his family? What would St. Andrews do? What was _he_ to do? And what if he had already gotten to Auggie or Rory, and that's why they hadn't replied to his emails? What if the man was _already_ sneaking up to their house, plans of having his way with Lily and murdering him and Charlie in his mind?

He quickly signed into his account, fearing the worst. He didn't know _how_ to be a warrior anymore. He was scared out of his mind, and he didn't know what to do. He was sure he was already imagining things. _But what if that redheaded man, staring at him in the coffee shop that morning, had been more than just a bored man, people watching?_

He blanched when he read Zane's email.

_Avery,_

_You didn't know? Rory's dead. Died of a heart attack this past weekend. His funeral is this Thursday. I got an email on Sunday from his girlfriend. I'm sure Auggie is at the funeral. I don't know how he's been coping with… well, you know. But I'm sure he has email. He's probably just away from it, right now. I don't have his number, or know where he works now, but just wait a few days. He'll hopefully be able to tell you what's been going on with him lately, if anything's been wrong. Until then, Avery, GO to the police. I'm pretty sure I'm safe here in South Korea. But for Lily's and Charlie's sake, make sure you're protected. No matter what that means. I already emailed Auggie, too—if he replies to me, you'll be the first to know. Avery, get help. For Lily's and Charlie's sake, if for nothing else._

_I'm shipped home in about two weeks. You still up for that afternoon of golf? That is, unless you're in witness protection by then…_

_Z_

Rory was dead. Rory was _dead_. _Dead?_ How could it be?

The truth seeped in, slowly.

_It had begun_. And Rory was _gone_.

He reached for his telephone, dialing 9-1-1 with trembling fingers.

**A/N:** Review, pleaseee! :)


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thank you, thank you, thank you… I know I keep saying it, lol, but I really didn't expect to receive such a lovely welcome from you all… I feel so honored that you love this story so much. :)

Also, I hope to have the next update up fairly soon, but I have oodles of lovely writing projects for college due oh-so-soon, and I really have NO clue where to take this from here… I thought I had it more planned out than I actually did. I have a few ideas, but nothing definite, so if you have any ideas that you think it should go in, or something you'd like to see… let me know in a review or PM, and if I think it'll work, I may include it… :)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Not mine. Not mine…

Chapter 5

Jai Wilcox had been working on a report for Joan when his phone vibrated against his hip. He absentmindedly reached for it, flipping it open. _You have one new TXT message from Annie Walker._ He pressed the okay button as he glanced around the DPD, just a little curious why Annie would be texting him during her vacation, especially since she had brushed him off the last time he had tried to talk to her a couple days ago.

_Prolly nothing. Can you check this out? Who is this man?_

He scrolled down to see the picture of a man, leaning against a tree, arms crossed across his chest. Tall, built, red hair, roguish looks. Locking the file in his desk, he headed straight to the techies. Annie was still fairly new to this job, but she had good instincts. She was obviously worried about it. She had interrupted her week-long vacation to ask about it. On his way, he typed his reply. _Why?_

A few moments later, her reply: _I think hes following auggie and me._

She was with Auggie? Why was she with Auggie?

He flagged the nearest techie he found, now in a bittering mood. "I need to see what we can find out about a guy in a picture Annie sent me. Can you do that?"

Barber accepted the phone from Jai. "Sure," he said, leading the way. Moments after uploading the photo, Barber found a match. _William Conor Henry._ With ties to the IRA, Al Qaeda, and many other dangerous groups, the idea of him near Annie made him blanch. _No_. "Thanks, Barber," he muttered, already out the door and headed toward Joan Campbell's office.

CA

Liam cursed and ducked behind the birch tree. That girl was up to no good.

He _would_ have his revenge on August Anderson, and if it weren't for that blasted girl, he would have had no problems.

He thought it had been amusing when she had stared him down at the viewing. She thought she was so powerful, so all-knowing. He had been convinced that he would still have his justice.

But when she had pulled that telephone out and snapped a picture, like she had connections that would know what to do with it, he knew he didn't have much time. He retreated to the clunker rental and watched the rest of the service from within.

His time to strike would come soon enough.

CA

With a chorus of good-byes, Annie and Auggie stepped onto the sidewalk of the quiet Toledo street. They were a few blocks away from the church, having just finished eating the lunch that everyone from the funeral had been invited to at a local diner in town.

Annie breathed deeply of the fresh air and slid her arm through Auggie's, hugging him closer. It was a beautiful day, and she couldn't imagine spending it with anyone but Auggie. Glancing at his quiet face, she hoped his grief would pass quickly. For his own sake.

She wanted to say something, to pass the time, to push away the grief, but, for the first time on this trip, she didn't have anything to say. No chatter to push away the horror of everything, no quick joke to bring that easy smile of his. She started humming a song she had heard at the funeral, hoping it was enough to fill the dreary silence.

"Auggie—" she said haltingly. His head turned in her direction, and she wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to tell him that she would have taken all her pain from him if she could… and something else. She knew there was something else. But she didn't know how to say it. She wasn't even sure what _it_ was. So she clammed her mouth shut. "Never mind," she said sheepishly. They walked a few more moments in a slightly awkward silence, until Annie rested her head against his shoulder. "Auggie… you know, well… you know that I want this to all be better, right? That I—"

Icy fear flowed through her veins at the sight of the redheaded mystery man seconds before she saw the semi-automatic pistol. "_Gun_!" she shouted, diving for cover behind one of the café tables as the air exploded with bullets. The table toppled over when her side hit it, and she groaned. She was going to have a lovely bruise in the morning.

As the clunker screeched around the corner, another round of bullets split the air, aimed straight at Auggie's crawling form, as he felt the ground for a trace of her. He was screaming her name like a desperate, nearly crazed man, and all she could think was that he was going to get shot and killed. Arms trembling, she reached out and yanked him out of the line of fire, relieved when the clunker disappeared out of view.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him like her life support. His arms came around her trembling form as she cried into his shoulder. He was supposed to be the one that never got hurt, never risked his life… what had happened? "I love you," she gulped out.

Auggie stilled. She _loved_ him? Was that that feeling billowing deep inside of him? _Love?_ "Annie?"

She dried her eyes on his shoulder. "Huh?" she asked, pulling away.

She looked into his eyes and saw confusion there. "You love me?"

She stilled, and slowly removed her hand from his arm. "Yeah," she said, sniffing, trying to justify her words. "You're my best friend, Auggie. Do you even know what it would be like for me if you were gone?"

He pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere," he vowed. He breathed in the smell of grapefruit and salty tears. They were alive. Annie was still here, still with him. It was like a dream. She said she loved him—as a best friend—but he couldn't help but wonder if it was more. He remembered the little things from this trip to Toledo... the way she had fallen asleep on his shoulder on the plane, the way she had pulled him against her when they had watched _Hogan's Heroes_ the night before, the way she had rescued him from his own demons, and the way she had still been holding his hand when he woke up that morning. It might just be friendship for her, but he was starting to wonder if it would ever just be friendship anymore for him. "Annie?" he asked. When she hummed, he said quietly, "I love you, too."

Half a moment later, Annie's cell phone buzzed. Sniffing, she flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"

"Annie?" It was Joan.

"Joan?" she asked.

"Annie, has that man that you sent a picture of to Jai been following you?"

She rested her hand on Auggie's arm and glanced around. "Yeah. For the past couple days. At the viewing, today at the funeral—" Before she could mention that the man had just tried to shoot them off the sidewalk, Jai interrupted.

"He's a bad man, Annie."

She snorted. "Yeah, I figured that out."

Trepidation filled Joan's voice. "Annie, what happened?"

"He just tried to gun Auggie and me down on the street. We were walking back to the rental car when he drove by and opened fire."

"Are you okay?"

Annie inspected Auggie. "Yeah, we're fine. I'll have a lovely bruise in the morning, and Auggie has a lovely bump on his head, but other than that, just a few scratches."

Joan and Jai let out a breath of relief. "You two need to get back here. Now. We need to figure out what's going on."

Annie glanced at Auggie. "Yes, ma'am." She closed her phone. "Guess it's time to go home," she said, offering him her hand. "You ready to say good-bye to Toledo?"

The thought of saying good-bye to Rory forever didn't bode well with Auggie. But what choice did he have? A crazed man was after him and Annie. They needed to go. He let her pull him to his feet, and she slipped her arm around his waist. "Let's go home, soldier boy."

CA

Auggie blanched as he listened to the desperate emails read back to him, into his headphones.

_Hey, Auggie,_

_You haven't recently gotten a mysterious, awful email, did you? I know we haven't talked in a while, but if you get this, please send me an email back._

_Avery_

Avery. His heart sank. He and Rory had always joked about Avery… with all his conspiracy theories, pining love stories, and religious ideology, he had been an easy target for their amusement. But he sounded genuinely worried now, and it could be dangerous.

_Hey, Auggie,_

_Sorry to bother you again, but I'm getting really worried. I got a strange email, threatening me, and everyone else in our old team—Zane, Rory, you… said Tikrit was only the beginning. Auggie, I'm worried. Especially for my family. If you get this, please reply…_

_Avery_

Auggie blanched at the thought of something happening to Zane and Avery. _What if that heart attack that Rory suffered hadn't been so innocent?_

_Hey, Auggie,_

_Zane here. Avery's _really_ been freaking out about some email he got a day or two ago… did you get his emails? Auggie, are you okay? Is this why Rory died? Talk to you soon, buddy. Hope you're enjoying that country music…_

_Z_

Auggie groaned, remembering the country music that had appeared in his iTunes account over a year ago.

His mind quickly returned to the emails. They had a problem. A _huge_ problem. Someone was targeting their team. Rory was already dead. They had tried to kill Auggie. And now they were threatening Avery. What would be next?

Logging out of his email, he went in search of Joan. Zane and Avery were _not _going to die on his watch.

**A/N:** Review pleaseee! :)


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Here it is! I think I have everything mostly figured out for the rest… :) I think it'll end up being around 14-15 chapters, so there's still quite a bit to go yet!

Oh, and sorry if Joan's secretary isn't named Maren, or if she doesn't have a secretary… haha. It just seemed to fit. If anyone knows her secretary's name (provided she has one!), I would love to know what it is, so I can keep everything as accurate as possible. :)

Oh, and sorry if the chapters are a bit shorter from here on out-I'm starting to think it might work a bit better that way...

Without further ado... :)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 6

Annie breezed into Tech Ops, slightly breathless. "Auggie," she said. "Joan wants us to meet her in the conference room. Right now."

Auggie frowned curiously. _What was the hurry?_ It had been over an hour since he had shown Joan the emails—he knew things took time, still... If Joan had wanted to make this a top priority, wouldn't she have called for them sooner?

He let her pull him to his feet as they walked in the direction of the conference room. "Did she say what it was about?"

"No," she said. She was acting differently now—different from when they had been in Toledo. Quieter. Less affectionate. More professional. All the same, he was glad it was her arm looped through his. She smelled of delicious grapefruit, and she leaned in, close enough to his side, to let him know that she was here with him now, and she would be with him still. A hint of something more, like she was hoping, loving, him through this. The quiet they shared was still companionable and easy. "I'm hoping she has some answers about your friends, though," she admitted.

He squeezed her arm gently, more glad than she could ever know that she was there. "Me, too."

When they arrived at the conference room, they took the two remaining empty seats between Joan's secretary, Maren, and Jai. Files were passed around as Joan began to speak. A picture of Annie's and Auggie's redheaded mystery flashed on the screen. Annie squeezed his hand under the table, and he returned the gesture, linking her fingers through his. Their mystery man had scared her, a lot.

"This is Liam Henry. He originally started out as a part of the IRA, but within the past five years, he's offered his services to other terrorist organizations, chiefly Al Qaeda. It's suspected that he branched out because of the death of his daughter, Juliana, four years ago. It's also suspected that he often works with a partner who goes by the name of Thomas St. Andrews, but no one has been able to confirm that."

She paused to show a photo of a charred building. Annie shivered, barely perceptibly. He noticed. He bumped his shoulder with hers, reassuringly, like she'd done so many times for him. She momentarily squeezed his hand tighter in thanks.

"His specialties include bomb-making and assassinations, and he's been known to take contracts to kill using any method. Multiple countries want to get this scumbag." She paused to let her gaze flit over Auggie and Annie, for just a moment. She continued. "He's been credited with assassinations in France, Spain, Ireland, Canada, South Africa… and his bombs have taken out whole street corners in the Middle East, and entire buildings all over Europe, killing thousands…

"Within the past week, he has turned his attention on Auggie and his former Army Ranger team." She locked eyes with everyone in the room. "I want to know everything about Henry. Who Thomas St. Andrews is, where they are, what they're doing, what they had for breakfast, why they're after Auggie and his team, why Juliana was so significant to his branching out. _Everything_."

Her gaze flitted to the latest recruit and her tech ops sidekick. "Annie, I'm sending you to South Carolina, to bring the Bennetts here. I want them right here, under our noses, so we know what Henry is up to. They're not going to be safe in Conway, and we're not leaving them out in the cold.

"Auggie, I want to know where Zane is. I want to know if he's protected. Get him back here, if you need to. Annie, your flight leaves in three hours. Make sure you're ready. That's all."

Everyone was packing up and leaving the room when Joan called out, "Annie! I need to speak with you for a moment, please."

Annie's gaze flew to Joan, as to any indication of her state of mind. Joan's face was a blank slate, no clues. She groaned inwardly. She touched Auggie's arm. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?" She was gone from his side before he had a chance to reply.

Annie studied her boss, her interest piqued. "You wanted to talk to me?" she asked.

Joan turned her attention from the file she had been studying to Annie. "Yes," she said. "Annie, Avery Bennett has served this country long and well. I trust you to bring him and his family back here safely."

Annie nodded, reading between the lines. _This is important. Don't mess up._

"Also, Avery and his family don't know you're coming. We believe it's safer that way. Henry has been known to do significant research into his marks, so it is a very high possibility that their phone lines are tapped, and that their email has been read. You might want to talk to Auggie, and work out a sign that Avery would recognize that Auggie has sent you. I don't know how paranoid Avery is, but when he does get paranoid, he can be a headache to deal with."

Annie nodded. "Thank you, Joan," she said, dismissing herself. How had everything become so out of control, in only a few days? True, her mission seemed straightforward and easy. But someone had killed one of Auggie's best friends, and had tried to kill her and Auggie. And now they were going after a known terrorist.

_Another day in the life of a spy?_ she asked herself.

CA

Annie slid into tech ops, smiling when she saw Auggie at work at his computer. He looked so focused, so intent on his work. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hurt Auggie. "Hey, stranger," she called out.

He pulled his headphones down to hang around his neck. "Annie?" he asked, a smile teasing his features.

She sauntered over to his side, resting her hip against his desk. She smiled in reply. "You gonna be okay while I'm gone?"

She asked softly, as if that Annie from Toledo was still in there, still going strong. He bit back a teasing joke. Annie was being serious. "Yeah," he said, swiveling his chair to face the sound of her voice better. "Just get Avery back here, safe and sound, 'kay?" he asked.

That quiet wisdom and worry were there, enveloping him. How could she say no?

She nodded, almost forgetting that he couldn't see it. "You got it, pal." She pushed away from his desk and kissed his cheek. "Don't tear apart a bathroom or fire a techie while I'm gone, 'kay?" she teased. She glowed at his responding laugh. _There it was._ "We'll get this guy, Auggie. Promise."

He let the truth sink in. He didn't know how, or when, and he prayed it didn't require the sacrifice of Zane or Avery, but he believed it. Clung to it. Wouldn't let it go.

She squeezed his arm affectionately in good-bye and walked to the door. Before leaving, she said, "Oh, Auggie, Joan told me to ask you if there was something I could give Avery, or something I could tell him, that he'd know that I am working with you."

He leaned back in his chair, lacing his hands behind his head. He smiled in remembrance. "Call him Avery Gravery," he said with a smile. "It was a nickname Rory came up with. Because of all the women and children he rescued from death. He'll know you're with either me or Zane."

Annie smiled. "Okay. See you in a couple days," she said, and he hummed in response.

Then she was gone, on her way to save the world.

CA

Liam cursed as he slammed the door of his hotel room shut. They were _gone_.

He had been driving around Toledo for hours, searching for them. After he had sped around the corner of that coffee shop, trying to exact his vengeance, it seemed they had disappeared. Into thin air.

He had driven around the block and circled back around once, five minutes later, trying to calculate his damage. The tables were still overturned. The cops had not yet arrived. But the two had completely disappeared.

_How was that even possible?_ He cursed again, throwing his suitcase onto the half-made bed. He had searched everywhere he could possibly think of. The church, the cemetery, the diner, even St. Nikolai's girlfriend's house. Nowhere. He had searched security cameras, looking for their rental, but it was gone. They had seemed to just vanish.

He packed his clothing and toiletries into his suitcase, howling when he snagged his thumb on the zipper, ripping his nail back. _Just his luck_.

Sweeping the room, he made sure he had everything. He was done with Toledo. It held nothing but bad memories, and he didn't have time to waste looking for August Anderson. He would find him later—and he would pay—double—for what he had made Liam go through. He knew exactly where Avery Bennett was, thanks to his partner, and how hard could exacting revenge on a minister, his thoughts caught up with keeping people happy and being entranced by his wife and son, be?

To Conway, South Carolina, he went.

CA

Auggie reached for his telephone, hoping he could talk some sense into Zane Giovanni. Zane had always been stubbornly bullheaded and independent, so confident in his own abilities, and yet, never wanting to hurt a soul. That combination made Auggie wonder if Zane would try and fight Liam on his own. _Not a good idea_, Auggie thought. He didn't put it above Zane and his independent martyr complex. Still, Auggie worried.

Zane might still be a soldier—a good one, at that—but none of them could take down William Henry by himself.

His thoughts returned to Annie, before she had left. _We'll get this guy, Auggie. Promise_. She had been so confident. Her confidence had fueled his own. Her confidence, and maybe a little bit of something else. He ached at the thought of what was lost. They had been more than coworkers, more than friends, in Toledo. Annie acted like nothing had changed, but he wasn't sure he wanted anything to ever be the same.

He pushed the thoughts from his mind, as he heard a voice answer his call. He explained that he needed to talk to Corporal Zane Giovanni. Right away. A matter of national security. He heard orders barked in the background, scuffling, shuffling. Silence.

_It could be. No one knew what Liam Henry was planning, or why he had targeted Rory, Auggie, Avery, and Zane. And Liam Henry was a terrorist, after all_, Auggie thought, bemused. Besides, the life of an American soldier was hanging in the balance.

A few moments later, Zane answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Zane," Auggie replied, relief filling his voice. Zane was okay. For now.

"Auggie!" he exclaimed. "Avery…"

"I know," Auggie interjected. Zane was the only one of their team that had known what he did for a living. "Someone's on their way to bring him into safety. Lily and Charlie, too."

Zane sighed with relief. Avery was the kind of guy that it was a shame to make the world live without. He had done so much good, was so much fun to be around. And he had Lily and Charlie. "Good."

A relieved smile tilted the corners of Auggie's lips. "Yeah." He paused. "Zane, you need to come back. The man doing this is _not_ to mess with. He'll rip you to pieces in your sleep and party at a bar a few minutes later. There's some reason he's after the four of us, but we don't have a clue what it is. With you out there, in the cold, unprotected…" His voice dropped off, low, the implications doing nothing to reassure his worried mind.

Zane sighed. "Auggie. Listen. I know you were always the protective one, always watching out for Avery and me. Rory, too, even. But I'm a soldier. I fight for a living. I can take care of myself. Besides, Avery said it was a redhead. I haven't seen anybody like that. He doesn't know where I am. I'm safe. Protect Avery, Lily, and Charlie. I'll be fine on my own."

Auggie clenched his teeth. He wanted to scream. He knew Zane would be like this. "Zane…" The thought of Rory's death, of not being able to stop that from happening to Zane… it made him sick. "This man… I don't know him, but I know a lot about him. He doesn't need to know where you are. He will find you. He will hunt you down. He will kill you, and then gloat about it the next day. He doesn't play around. You'll be chopped up in a million pieces by next week if he had his way… And…"

_And I can't protect you when you're in South Korea_. He couldn't say it out loud. He spent his days protecting Annie, protecting operatives, protecting his family from the harsh truth, protecting America from evil. And yet, Zane Giovanni wouldn't let Auggie protect him. His heart howled.

He remembered the innocent Zane, always cracking a joke, making fun of Avery's crazy conspiracy theories, refusing to let those bombs they hunted down keep him from living. He had been young, wide-eyed, unjaded, strong, fearless, four years ago. He had been convinced he was making a difference. He had. Auggie wanted to strangle his thick-headed pride. Zane hadn't listened well four years ago.

Some things never changed.

The silence had lingered between them. "And what, Auggie?" Zane asked finally.

_And…_ And what was there to say when he knew the truth? Knew that Zane wouldn't come in, out of the cold, into safety? Knew how ruthless and evil Liam Henry was? Knew how passionately he was had been stalking the four of them? What was there to say when Zane was convinced that what he was doing was for the best of them all, and himself? That there was no threat to him?

"Nothing," he replied, sounding almost haggard. "I know when you're mind's made up, Z. But you listen to me good. I was there—I was _there_ when the world said good-bye to Rory St. Nikolai. I was there to know what he faced. And I know why he died, now. I was there when he tried to kill me and my friend. And I know this man is not going to stop at anything until you, and Avery, and I, are dead. Keep your head down, for Rory's sake." He paused. "I don't want to be attending another funeral. You hear me?"

Zane sighed, feeling Auggie's uncanny scrutiny. "Yeah, Aug, I hear you."

Auggie sighed, too, bits of relief tickling through him. It wasn't enough—nowhere near it—but it would have to do. He couldn't leave it there, not quite. "I'm serious, Zane. This guy is not above anything. Poisoning, suffocating, knifing, torture, shooting you at close range or from a vantage point of a quarter-mile away. Nothing is safe. And he has a partner, maybe. We're not sure what he looks like. Don't trust _anybody_. You hear me?"

Zane sighed, starting to regret Auggie's overprotective blanket. "Yes, mom…" he drawled, rolling his eyes.

Auggie rolled his eyes, too. They might not like it, but he protected them for their own good. His fingers gripped the telephone tighter. "Just… watch your back, Zane. Promise me."

"I promise," he said. A short pause, and Auggie heard muffled speech in the background. "I gotta go, Aug. Keep Avery Gravery safe, okay?"

"Yeah," Auggie said, sighing heavily. At least he could protect Avery Gravery and his family.

But Zane was already gone.

**A/N:** I'm not sure I like having everything planned out like this… It makes me feel like my writing is more robotic and summarizing… so I hope it didn't come across that way. Review, pleaseeee! :)


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter! I usually get a chapter up every day or two, but I might not be able to finish the next one until Monday… just depending on a bunch of stuff. So I wanted to make sure I got this one to you today!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 7

Annie climbed out of the backseat of the car. "Thanks, Aaron," she whispered to the driver, an operative who had picked her up at the airport, as she turned her attention back to the man on the other end of her telephone call. "'Kay, Auggie, I just got here. I'll call you soon."

"Yep," came the quick reply, and she closed her phone before slipping it into her pocket. She wanted it close if she should need it. Joan's warning had her a bit wary.

She smiled as she studied the house. It was quaint, cute, painted completely white and pastel blue. The shutters and perfectly placed flowers made it appear to be picture-perfect. The thought of Liam Henry storming the place, however, reminded her that there was nothing perfect about this home in Conway, South Carolina. Not now, anyway.

She stepped up to the doorway and rang the doorbell once. She heard the responding echo of its ring, followed almost immediately by a baby's cry. Nearly a minute later, the door opened slowly, the woman balancing a ten-month-old baby in one arm and a blanket in the other.

"Hello?" the woman asked.

"Hello," Annie returned. "My name is Annie. I believe your husband served in Iraq with my friend? He sent me to help you."

"Auggie?" the woman asked hopefully.

Annie nodded with a smile. "Yes. That's him."

The woman pulled the door open wide and invited Annie in. "Please come in. I'm Lily Bennett. And this is my son, Charlie."

Annie smiled, shaking his little hand importantly. "He's adorable."

Lily beamed. "Thank you." She sat on the recliner, rearranging Charlie in her lap, and Annie took a seat on the sofa.

"We have a plan to keep the three of you safe," Annie began. "Auggie's waiting for us… but we need to leave fairly soon. We know who is behind everything, and he's not to be messed with. We need to leave fairly soon, though. We're pretty sure, from everything that Avery has told Auggie so far, that the man responsible knows where you live. In order to keep you safe, we need to leave fairly soon."

Lily nodded, hugging Charlie close. "Okay."

"Is your husband home?"

She shook her head, the worry in her eyes evident. "He left about an hour ago to go to the hardware store. He's not back yet."

"Does it usually take him a while?"

She shook her head. "He should be home soon. I can call him, if you'll…"

Annie smiled in agreement, reaching for Charlie. "Hey, baby," she cooed with a smile.

Lily smiled as her son took to Annie. She walked to the counter in the kitchen and picked up the cordless telephone, dialing her husband's number from memory. "Hi, Avery… No, I'm fine… Listen, there's a girl here… says Auggie sent her. Can you come home quick? It's about that email you got… Okay… I love you, too…" A short pause. "Bye." She reappeared, leaning against the open arch that led from the living room to the kitchen and dining room. "He's on his way. He should be here soon. Ten minutes, at the most, probably. The store's just down the street."

Annie nodded, momentarily distracted by Charlie's cooing and clapping. Lily laughed. "He's kinda hard to ignore, isn't he?"

Annie smiled, handing him back. "He's so cute. I have two nieces back at home—but they're about ten years older now. I haven't seen the cute baby phase in a while."

Lily smiled, relief dancing on her face when she heard Avery's car pull up. "That's him," she said, peaking through the curtains.

Before she could get up to greet him, he stormed through the door, a baseball bat clenched tightly in his right fist. Fear and fury fought for dominion on his face, and he tersely nodded for Lily to move away from Annie. "Get away from her," he growled.

Annie held her hands up in surprise. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's going on?"

Lily clutched Charlie closer to her. "Avery! What are you doing?"

His chest heaved up and down as adrenaline fired through his veins. "I told you, Lil, we can't trust _anybody_. St. Andrews could have kidnapped Auggie. She could be working with him. We don't know anything. All we know is that someone's after us. I told you not to let anyone in!"

"Avery!" Lily pled. "C'mon," she whispered. "Does she look like a terrorist or an assassin? She said Auggie sent her! You trust Auggie, don't you?"

"Not without proof that it's him," he seethed.

"Avery," Annie placated soothingly. "Avery Gravery. Auggie sent me. Please. You're in danger. You've got to believe me."

The angry lines on his face eased into a hopeful questioning. "Auggie?" he whispered. Then it was gone. "_No_," he nearly shouted again. "They could have tortured it out of him. Besides, couldn't they have seen that on the emails I sent to Zane?"

He was leering dangerously close, and Annie was starting to get freaked out. So _this_ was what Joan was talking about? Why hadn't she equipped her with a taser before she left? She reached into her pocket, for her cell phone.

"Whoa, whoa, stop it _right_ there!" he screamed, and Annie's phone dropped to the floor in her fright. _Who in the world _was_ this guy?_

"It's just my phone!" she retorted. "I'm just going to call Auggie!" She scowled at him. _Unbelievable. Just her luck._

He acquiesced, and she held down the number 2. She heard his phone ringing. "Smithsonian acquisitions," he answered.

"Auggie!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

"Annie?" he laughed. Clearly, he was amused. It only fueled her annoyance.

"Can you _please_ tell you're psycho friend here that I did NOT kidnap you, and that I'm NOT trying to suck his blood or something?"

She could hear his confusion. "What?"

"Avery. He's got a bat aimed at my head. I'd really like to make it home tonight. Can you PLEASE talk to him?"

He laughed. "Are you serious? _Avery?_ He couldn't harm a fly!"

"I'm _dead_ serious. I dunno what he did since you last talked, but apparently he thinks I'm worthy of being pummeled into lunchmeat."

Auggie laughed again. "Fine. Give him the phone."

Annie rolled her eyes and held out the telephone. "Here," she bit out, not a little annoyed. "Talk to him. And PLEASE put that bat down."

Avery held the phone up to his ear. "Auggie?" he asked, tentatively, his eyes darting around the room.

She heard Auggie's laughter coming across the telephone. "Buddy, did you _really_ threaten Annie with a bat?"

"Uh…" Avery glanced at Annie, starting to realize his mistake. "Auggie, how do I know that it's you?"

Another laugh. "Because it is. Avery Grave-Free, you know me. We spent week after week together in Iraq, battling the heat and the fear and your crazy conspiracy theories. You have a lot of things to fear, but Annie is _not_ one of them. Okay? She's my best friend. She'll take care of you."

His shoulders drooped in acceptance. "Okay," he finally admitted, letting the bat drop to the floor.

Annie could hear Auggie's laugh once more. "Good. She's going to bring you up here. We have a plan. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," he said, handing Annie the phone back.

She rolled her eyes when he laughed once more, and she told him good-bye. She turned her attention back to Lily and Avery. "Okay. Our plane leaves from Florence in approximately three hours. That means we need to leave in about twenty minutes, to get processed and everything. We have your tickets already… you need to pack. I'll watch Charlie as you do, if you need me to. You'll have to pack for about two weeks. We just don't know how long it will take to sort everything out."

Avery eyed Annie warily, but Lily smiled gently as she handed her son over to Annie. She slid her arm around Avery's waist and tugged toward their bedroom. "C'mon, baby," she whispered. "It's gonna be okay."

As they disappeared from view, Annie sat on the ground, folding her legs underneath her, and she let Charlie crawl around. As she waited for Lily and Avery to finish packing, she sighed with relief. _That had been close._

CA

Zane settled down at an empty table in the mess hall, studying the nearly empty room. Auggie's words were coming back to him, haunting him. _I'm serious, Zane. This guy is not above anything. Poisoning, suffocating, knifing, torture, shooting you at close range or from a vantage point of a quarter-mile away. Nothing is safe._

He eyed every person in the room, suspiciously. His gaze fell to his food. _Was it poisoned? How would he ever know?_

He groaned. Maybe he should have taken Auggie up on the offer of protection back in America. He could return to his post when his safety was assured.

As he took a bite of his food, he glanced up in time to see a redheaded mystery man, dressed in cammies, glaring at him.

_Oh, no_.

CA

Annie guided Lily, Avery, and Charlie toward tech ops, weariness in every bone of her body. It had taken half a million favors, but she didn't want Avery changing his mind. The idea of the man turning his little soda cup from the plane ride into a lethal weapon had kept this her number one priority. Avery and Auggie _had_ to reunite. For her own safety.

She knocked on the door to tech ops, pushing it open a moment later. It was only four in the afternoon, but she felt like she'd been running on no sleep for weeks. "Auggie?" she called out wearily, and he turned, a smile on his face, to face her.

That face was so welcome today, after everything she'd been through. She just wanted to go back to Toledo, when it had been just her and Auggie, no responsibilities. _I'm doing this for you,_ she wanted to say. Instead, she said, "Avery's here. I thought you might want to say hey before Joan finds out exactly what they know."

"Aug?" Avery called out tentatively, and was relieved when his query was met with a wide grin.

He stood to his feet. "Hey, Avery Gravery." Before he could prepare himself, Avery launched himself into Auggie's arms. Auggie stilled, his eyes flashing a plea to Annie, hoping it reached its destination.

Annie giggled. Actually giggled. "Huh-uh. I'm not getting between the two of you again."

Auggie groaned inwardly. Avery joined his family again. "Oh, ah, Aug, this is my wife, Lily, and my son, Charlie."

Auggie held his hand out to her, and she grasped it tentatively. "Hello," she said softly.

Auggie smirked gently for her. "I'm Auggie, but I'm sure you figured that out by now."

She giggled, and he let a satisfied grin linger on his features.

Annie started shepherding the little family out of the room. "Joan's about ready to find out what you know. C'mon, I'll take you to the room."

Auggie smiled and waved, taking his seat again, as they called out their good-byes. Slipping his headphones back over his ears, he sighed with relief.

At least two of them were safe now.

CA

Annie pushed open the door to the guesthouse. _Home, sweet home,_ she thought, the sight of her bed beckoning her. She held the door open for Lily and Charlie to enter. "I'm afraid it's not very baby-proof," she apologized. "I think my sister has some leftover baby stuff from Chloe and Katia, though. I can go see if she has anything…"

Lily smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Annie. But just wait till morning. We'll be fine."

Annie sighed with relief. "You're a saint," she managed to utter. "The couch pulls out. You and Charlie can sleep there tonight."

Lily nodded, spreading a blanket on the floor for Charlie and laid his sleeping form on it gently. She turned to help Annie. "Do you think Avery will be okay?"

Annie couldn't help but laugh. "If he's at all accurate as he is menacing, I think he'll be fine. Besides, in Jai's hands, they'll be safe for the night. Tomorrow, they'll come up with a more permanent situation."

Lily relaxed as she lowered herself onto the temporary bed. _Maybe everything would be okay, after all._

CA

Liam felt the satisfying click of the lock before he pushed open the back door to the Bennett home. Their two cars were still in the garage, so they should be home. It was the middle of night. _This would be easy_.

He tiptoed into the kitchen, and, from there, toward the back of the house. He slipped into the master bedroom, only to trip over a hanger. He grunted and cursed when he hit the floor. He reached for his weapon. If they weren't awake earlier, they must be now.

But there was no answering reply. No breathing, even. He flipped on the light.

Gone.

The bed was a mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere. No people.

He made his way to the bedroom, next door. A baby crib. _How cute,_ he thought sarcastically. But no baby.

He moved quickly between the bathroom, the living room, up the stairs, through the guestrooms, secondary bathroom, upstairs study, playroom, down to the basement, through the garage, and back out the back door.

_Gone_.

He cursed. Pounded his fist into the wall of the picture-perfect blue home.

That dynamic duo from Toledo was wreaking havoc on his plans. _And he didn't like it._

**A/N:** Review, pleaseeee!


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Can I just say I LOVE this chapter? I have been waiting to write some of these scenes for quite a while, and I LOVE how they turned out, hehe. I hope you like them as much as I do! Would love to know what to you think. :)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 8

Avery walked into the room when Jai had given the go-ahead, taking in everything the small apartment had to offer. Minimal windows, all locked. Simply furnished. A secret exit out the back. An operative posted at the secret and front entrances. It didn't appear to be anything other than a slightly run-down, simple, two-bedroom apartment.

He glanced at Auggie. He was already depositing his stuff in the first room, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

He wanted to scream. _Moving into a safe house was _not_ normal. At all._

Jai was depositing the large pizza on the island in the kitchenette. "Drop your stuff in the extra room, Bennett. The pizza's getting cold."

Avery noticed Auggie's smirk as he came out of his room, and it relaxed his taut nerves. A little bit. On the off chance that they'd had the luxury of pizza when the four of them had been a team, cold pizza had been their choice. He smirked when he thought of the first time Rory had tried it. They had all laughed when he had spit it right back out. Zane's easy teasing. Those had been the good old days, the four of them together, before… well, before the incident.

He dropped his stuff in the back bedroom, wishing he had thought to bring a picture of Lily and Charlie. The thought of not seeing them, indefinitely, made him weak. Lily had always been his strength. Now he would have to be strong on his own. Why couldn't he just go back to being Pastor Avery Bennett, joker, lover of people, happy husband, father? That was who he _was_. He didn't know how to wear this warrior's armor anymore.

When he returned to the kitchen, Jai and Auggie were eating their pizza in silence. He took a seat on one of the barstools. "Are you sure Lily and Charlie are going to be fine with Annie?" he asked, clearly worried.

"Relax," Auggie managed to say around his rather large bite of pizza. He swallowed before he continued. "Annie's a _good_ agent. She knows what she's doing. Besides, we're pretty sure Liam is only after us. Yeah, he shot at Annie, too. But he was probably only aiming at Annie, too, because she could identify him. He didn't touch Noelle or her siblings. Or anyone else in that café, for that matter. And it will look natural to see that a woman about Annie's age came to visit with her baby."

Avery took a bite of the pizza, still unsure.

Jai studied Avery, sensing his hesitancy. "Look, Avery," he said, setting his pizza down on the paper plate he was still holding in his hand. "We've studied Liam Henry. Maybe not till recently, but there's a lot of intel on him. And all of it points to the fact that he _only_ goes after his mark. Lily and Charlie are probably more safe than they would be, in a safe house, with you and Auggie. And Auggie's…" He paused, as if he didn't want to say the words. Not because they weren't true, but almost because… it _pained_ him to say them. "Auggie's right. Annie Walker is a _really_ good agent."

Avery sighed. "I guess I'll have to trust your judgment."

Auggie set his pizza down on the counter. "Good. Ave, you _should_. Joan, Jai, Annie, me… we're all _really_ good at what we do. And we know this guy. Believe me. Lily and Charlie will be okay. I promise."

Avery swallowed and slowly nodded. "Oh—okay."

CA

Annie was nearly asleep by the time she heard it.

_Dit. Dah. Dah-dit. Dah-dit. Dit-dit. Dit._ Annie? Morse code? Her Morse code was rusty, but she was pretty sure she had just heard her name through Morse code. _Where was it coming from?_

Then she remembered the contraption Auggie had given her a small while after her one-year anniversary at the CIA. It communicated in Morse code. Auggie had insisted on teaching her. She had mocked him the whole time. _When would she need Morse code?_

She was glad, now, that he had taught her. She hadn't seen him since before lunch. Jai had insisted on getting them settled into the safe house, and she hadn't even gotten to say good-bye.

The CIA was much more boring without Auggie Anderson's smile to brighten her day.

She scrambled out of bed. By now, he had added, _Are you there?_ She reached for the contraption, trying to remember how it worked.

_Yeah,_ she replied. _I was almost asleep. You brought this contraption with you?_

_Course, silly,_ he tapped back. _I needed some way to talk to my favorite lady, and they confiscated my phone. Figured Liam could trace it back to the safe house._

_Makes sense._ She tucked her favorite fuzzy blanket around her shoulders. _So I'm your favorite lady, huh?_

There was an almost uneasy pause. _Don't flatter yourself._

She actually laughed out loud. Then covered her mouth, hoping Lily and Charlie, in her spare room, didn't hear. _So why the late-night conversation?_

A pause. _Only so much of Avery's hovering I can take before I need a different topic of conversation._

_Teehee,_ she tapped back.

_Miss you_, he said, filling the silence.

_Aw, shucks._ She paused, hoping the words she wanted to say could come out right. _I miss the time we had in Toledo._

_Just you, me, and a depressing funeral?_

She groaned. _Auggie… that's not—_

He was already typing again, so she stopped to listen. _Relax. I know what you meant. I miss it, too._

She closed her eyes, remembering waking up next to him, watching him sleep, his hand caressing hers. Waking up next to Auggie had been nice. _Really_ nice.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts. She and Auggie were just friends. That's all he wanted. _Right?_

_So how was hanging out with Jai all afternoon? You haven't murdered him yet, have you?_

She could actually imagine his sarcastic smirk. It made her smile.

_He's actually been nice to have around,_ he replied. _Don't tell him I said so, though. Else I'm a dead man._

She laughed quietly. _What-what? The infamous duo is actually getting along?_

She could imagine the laugh behind his _psht._ _He's keeping Avery in check. I can't believe I forgot how completely out-of-control he gets with his conspiracy theories._ There was a pause. _Getting chased by a terrorist and holing up in a safe house has done nothing to return Avery to normal._

She took a sip of the water in the glass setting by her bed, smirking. _Better you than me._

_Oh, harr._

She smirked. The light, easy banter that came so easy to both of them was a welcome relief from trying to track down a crazed stalker-terrorist and worrying whether or not her best friend was going to get murdered in his sleep. _You allowed to come to work tomorrow?_

_Better be,_ he replied quickly. _If I have to sit up here with Avery all day, listening to his resurrected crazy conspiracies with the two guards doing nothing but stare ahead and grunt, there's something entirely different you'll have to rescue me from._

_Who said I'd rescue you?_ she typed back, grinning.

_I think you'd better go to bed,_ he replied. _The lack of sleep is messing with your judgment._

_Harr-harr,_ she replied.

As the silence stretched amiably between them, she listened for any sound from Lily and Charlie's room, or from outside the small guesthouse. While she was awake, she might as well be on her guard. Even though most of the DPD read in on the assignment was convinced that Lily and Charlie were in no real danger, they were still with her. Under her care. And she knew exactly what Liam Henry looked like.

Joan had been wrong before.

_Do you want me to go? You said you were sleeping, right?_ His care for her came over the space between them.

_Did_ she want him to go? Being with Auggie was her favorite thing in the world. But she _was_ exhausted, and she'd pay for it tomorrow if she didn't sleep. She'd feel safer, next to him. _But that's not how it is,_ she reminded herself again.

_Maybe,_ she tapped back regretfully. _I am pretty tired. But no, you didn't wake me._

_Oh,_ he typed back. She could hear his relief. _That's good, at least._

She smiled. _Night, Auggie._

_Night, Annie. See you tomorrow._

_Yup._

It was quiet. Setting the contraption aside, she slid beneath the covers of her bed, the image of Auggie, mere inches away, lulling her into an easy sleep.

CA

Liam dropped his suitcase to the floor of the hotel. He was finally here. And he _knew_ Zane Giovanni was still here. Justice would be _his_. He had to be careful, though. This was a military base. Security would be tight. And knowing the dynamic duo battling him back in the States, it would be just his luck to be captured here and have the rest of his plans foiled.

He pushed aside the colorful curtain and peered outside. He could see the military base from where he stood. He could feel the revenge, _taste_ it. How would he get inside? He had to play this safe.

Sitting down at the bed that would be his for the next little while, he pulled his laptop out of its case and turned it on.

He had some work to do.

CA

Avery turned the television off, glancing around the living room area of the apartment. Joe, one of the operatives, was still placed just inside the front door. Had been on duty for the past five hours.

Avery had spent most of that time watching TV. He was pretty sure he had seen enough television for the next five _years_. He stood to his feet and paced the room. Into the kitchen, back to the couch, back to the kitchen. Was there any good food in the refrigerator? Of course not. Then again, it wasn't the best idea to eat because you were bored. So much for that.

He paced back into the living room. Sighed. Plopped back onto the couch. He decided he hated this confinement. It was nearly worse than the paralyzing fear of not knowing what would happen to the three of them.

"Don't you have a book you can read or something?" Joe called from the entryway.

Avery shot him a look. "_Nooo,_" he replied a little more sharply than he intended. "If I'd had time to drop by the bookstore, do you think I'd be here?"

Joe bit his tongue. He'd seen Avery's behavior over the past two days, since Avery and Auggie had been moved to the safe house. He wasn't picking a fight with such an obviously paranoid guy. _How had he ever made it in Special Forces, anyway?_

Avery paced to the window, pushing the curtain aside half an inch to see outside. His breath caught in his throat. "J-j-j-joe?" he stuttered.

"Yeah?" Joe replied drolly.

"H-h-he's b-back…"

Joe stood to his feet immediately. Making sure the door was locked securely, he joined Avery at the window. Glanced outside. "The redhead?" he asked.

Avery nodded vigorously.

Joe threw him his phone. "Call Auggie. Use the number he told you to memorize."

With shaking hands, he did as he was told. His hands felt clammy, and the cell phone shook against his ear. "Smithsonian acquisitions," the cheerful voice replied, and Avery wondered how in the world Auggie could be so cheerful at a moment like this.

"Au-Au-Aug-Auggie…"

"Avery? What's going on?"

"H-h-he's back. The redhead's back." Fear fired through his veins. His head began to spin. _Was he about to pass out?_ What kind of wimp was he? He slowly lowered himself on the couch, purposely focusing on staying conscious. _Ho, boy._

"There?" Auggie demanded. "There, where?"

"On the street," Avery managed to get out. "He's just sitting on the bench, across from the apartment.

He could hear a terse command on the other side. "Okay, Ave, we're on it," Auggie explained. _Avery was _not_ going to die on his watch._ "Give the phone to Joe, will you? I need to talk to him about something."

Avery gulped, nodded, and handed the phone to Joe. When he had signed up to serve his country, _this_ was _not_ what he had in mind. He curled up on the couch. _How was he supposed to do this?_

_Oh, help me, Lord,_ he whispered, meaning every word of it.

He was going to need the Lord's help—they _all_ were—if they were going to get out of this alive. His thoughts turned to Lily and Charlie.

Please help them to be safe. Please. Please. Please…

**A/N:** Review, pleaseee!


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you all for sticking with me for so long… I know this story's starting to get kinda long and a bit drawn-out, but the end is in sight! There should be only 3-4 chapters left. I can't believe it's gone so quickly, though! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just want to say thank you, again, for your warm reception! I'm really enjoying my time here, and I'm loving all your stories, as well. :)

And review, pretty pleaseee! I felt like I had such a good direction with the story at the beginning, because I could tell what people were thinking. Now… not so much. :( I would love to know what you think! (Reviews or not, though, I'm so honored that you're reading my story, hehe!)

Okay… here she is! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 9

Jai pulled the SUV up to the curb on the opposite side of the road from the apartment complex that the safe house was located in. The redhead was still seated on the bench, staring up at the apartment. _Either they had _really_ good luck, or Liam Henry was a _lot_ dumber than they had originally thought._

He glanced at Annie. She almost looked… afraid. She was always so strong, always hiding her emotions. But this time—this time, a little trepidation shone through.

He guessed he couldn't blame her—the man had, after all, tried to shoot her down a couple of days ago. "C'mon, Annie," he said, gently. "I'll take point. He's not going to hurt you. I won't let him."

She managed a feeble smile and climbed out of the passenger seat. They met at the front of the SUV, and she followed as he strode purposely toward Liam Henry. Their menace. Terrorist to soldiers and the world.

Funny. He didn't _look_ menacing. He didn't even react when they came to a stop in front of him. "Liam Henry?" Jai asked, his gaze hard.

Panic crossed the man's face then, and he bolted to his feet and down the street, glancing back every few yards.

Annie and Jai shared a puzzled look. "Did he just _run_?" Jai asked, flashing his charmer grin.

She rolled her eyes, and he nodded his head toward their escaping terrorist. "C'mon."

They chased him down the street three blocks. Past a gas station, a doctor's office, a daycare, and two office buildings. He ducked into a CVS pharmacy, diving in and out of several rows, back out of the pharmacy, through a playground, and into a new housing development. He cut behind a half-constructed house, and Jai nodded for her to keep following him. "I'm going to go around. Block him off!"

Annie nodded and kept running. She skirted around the house, between the tarps covering building supplies, catching a glimpse of him running toward the woods on the other side of the house.

Suffocating fear stole her breath away. _They were going to lose him_. And Auggie would live in fear forever.

That, and annoyance. If Avery didn't shut up soon, she was going to threaten to lock _him_ up. She'd only heard a few of the conspiracy theories in person, but she'd heard more than she ever cared to remember through Auggie.

Her consideration and care for Auggie fueled her, and she pumped her legs harder. _They_ had_ to get him._ He _couldn't_ get away.

She heard a loud _crack_, and glanced up ahead to see what it was. Liam was on the ground, groaning and holding his head. Jai stood over him, wielding a two-by-four. He grinned down at Annie. "Got him."

Annie couldn't help grinning. Maybe Auggie could be safe, now. And maybe Avery could return to normal, and he and his family could go home. _Maybe she could be free to fall in love with Auggie._ Maybe not. But maybe there was hope for something like love.

The redhead between them groaned again, and they both glared at him. "Don't try anything funny, Liam," Jai growled.

"Liam? You think I'm _Liam?_" The man cursed, a bitter rage flashing across his face. "Liam's halfway across the world! I'm _Braden Henry._ Liam's twin."

Jai and Annie shared a horrified look. "Liam has a _twin_?"

Brady rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm him. Look, can you help me up, _please_? Since you were so kind to lay me out, in the middle of this God-forsaken forest?"

Jai dragged him to his feet and pulled out his handcuffs. "C'mon. You're coming with us."

"What?" Brady protested. "What did I do? I was just taking in the sights! I'm a good guy, honest!"

Jai snorted, and Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course," Jai bit out. "C'mon, big guy."

They dragged him all the way back to the SUV. Jai grunted each time Brady wandered a little too far from their path, shoving him in the right direction. Brady was grumbling and complaining the whole way about his misfortune and tooting his innocence. Annie walked slowly, breathing in the early afternoon air.

They had Liam Henry's brother. Auggie and Avery were still safe.

Maybe there was hope for breaking this case open, after all.

CA

"I'm innocent! You can't hold me here!" a voice called out bitterly, the sound ricocheting off the cold walls.

Despite himself, Auggie jumped slightly on the other side of the glass separating them. He cursed under his breath. He had been a hardened soldier—and yet, a puny, insignificant, powerless lackey's empty threats were startling him?

They didn't know how Braden Henry was associated with Liam yet, but Auggie was sure of a connection. And if anyone could figure out what Liam Henry was up to, it was definitely their team. He may not always appreciate the methods used (or the people employing them), but he had confidence in Joan and Jai's abilities.

He was tired of looking over his shoulder. He wanted to go home.

An arm slid through his, and a head rested on his shoulder. "Hey," a voice whispered against him.

_Annie_. He unconsciously leaned into her. She had come back, to him. Her presence was like a soothing balm, after all that had happened in the past week.

"Hi." She pressed gently against his side, returning the gesture, her gentle comfort doing wonders for his weary heart. He wanted to tell her thank you, that he loved her for who she was, that he didn't want to face this alone, and that he was glad he didn't have to.

"We're gonna get him, Auggie," she promised fiercely.

He pulled her into a hug. He wasn't gushy man, prone to tears and worry. But somehow, the way Liam Henry had attacked him, his best friend, and Avery and Zane… and the way Annie was with him through it all… Suffice it to say, he wasn't the man he had been three weeks ago. Even two weeks ago.

He found it hard to imagine his life without Annie Walker in it. He wasn't sure he _wanted_ to, either. She filled his dreams with joy and his days with laughter. And she was always there.

He wanted to tell her—how much she meant to him, how much he thought he was falling for her. _I love you, Annie_. The way he _really_ felt. Not just a quick interchange between friends. After the events of the past two weeks, he didn't want to live without her.

The thought of going back to that safe house, listening to Avery's conspiracies and Joe's grunts… not seeing Annie until the next morning…

She may not know how she felt, but he knew _exactly_ how he felt.

_Annie, I love you._

Too bad he couldn't voice those words.

Brady's shout interrupted the silence. "You can't—"

The door banged open and Jai strode in. "I can bloody well do whatever I please," he retorted, slamming the door shut again. "You sprained my wrist. And ruined my good suit."

He paused, staring Brady down. "Now, then. Big brother Liam's not going to come rescue you from this one."

Annie smirked and slid her arm through Auggie's again as they listened to the interrogation.

CA

"Where's Liam?" Jai demanded, throwing down three images—one of Liam, one of a dead Rory St. Nikolai, and one of the aftereffects of Liam's drive-by. "We know he's behind this. We know _you're_ behind this."

"What's _this_?" Brady asked defensively. "I told you already. I'm just a tourist. Visiting America. I don't know why you keep showing me these pictures. I'm innocent."

Jai snorted and flipped through the file until he reached a worn Australian passport. He threw it at Brady, hitting his chest before dropping into his lap.

Gingerly, Brady opened the passport to look at the name. He already knew who it was. His glance merely confirmed it.

_St. Andrews, Thomas F._ Age, 34. Resident of Queensland.

"That looks an awful lot like you, Mr. Henry. Down to the mole on your left cheek. That we _know_ Liam Henry doesn't have. And we know that Liam Henry often works with a partner, a Thomas St. Andrews. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was his _twin_ _brother_."

Brady blanched. "This isn't what it looks like," he mumbled.

Jai stared him down. "Oh, really? Well, this looks pretty incriminating to me. And it _looks_ like you were staking out the safe house August Anderson and Avery Bennett were staying in. And do you want to guess why they were _in_ that safe house to begin with?"

"No," Brady mumbled.

"They were in the safe house because a certain Mr. St. Andrews sent Avery multiple emails to, and I quote, 'Watch your back.' Does that sound like an innocent man, Mr. Henry? Or is it Mr. St. Andrews, now?"

Brady squirmed under Jai's scrutiny. "No… I'm not… It's not— Just call me Brady," he finally said, defeat edging his tone.

"Okay, _Brady_," Jai said. "Since we obviously know that everything is not as it seems… let's start with the truth. What were you doing here in DC?"

Brady fidgeted with his fingers. "Liam sent me back to America."

"_Back_ to America?" Jai demanded.

Brady nodded. "Yeah. He had me fly to South Korea, to find out where some soldier was. A Corporal Giovanni." He paused, sighing heavily. "See, Liam's been blackmailing me for _years_. Right after I got married, he told me if I didn't do exactly what he wanted me to, he'd kill Hannah. When the twins were born, he got even worse. Especially when Juli died. My brother's _crazy_. But I couldn't let him hurt Hannah, Olivia, or Bryce." He paused, his pain evident on his face. "But now—now I just want to be free. Free from Liam, free from all this evil, free to go home to my family."

"You threatened a very vitally important member of the United States Army. And three former soldiers. I'm afraid you're not going anywhere, Brady."

The man's face crumpled, and Annie, still watching from behind the glass with Auggie and Joan, was sure he was about to cry.

"Why is Liam doing this?" Jai pressed.

"R-revenge," he mustered out. "Juliana died because of a bombing in Iraq. Afterward, Liam went insane. Offered his help to al Qaeda. He designed bombs that were concealed underneath dead carcasses on the side of the road. According to Liam, the four soldiers he told me to threaten were responsible for locating and neutralizing those bombs."

At this, Auggie flinched next to Annie. Liam Henry had built those bombs? That bomb that had cost him so much? And now he wanted more? Liam Henry had already taken his sight and one of his best friends—what else would be required before this was all over?

"He said that he would still get his revenge. I didn't know what to think, what to do."

"Where is he?"

"Probably still in South Korea. That's where I was. I was supposed to find Corporal Zane Giovanni. Make sure he stayed where I found him. Then he came to take my place."

Jai cursed and pounded the table with his fist. Stalked out of the room. Slammed the door behind him.

They were in trouble.

CA

Zane made his way, apprehensively, to his commander's office. They weren't exactly on bad terms, but it usually wasn't a good thing when General Isaac Gray called you into his office.

"Giovanni!" a voice barked at him as he neared the office door. _How did he do that?_

Zane stepped into the office and saluted General Gray.

"At ease, corporal," the man said wearily. He arranged a few papers on his desk, and turned his attention back to Zane. "I've just received orders from Washington. You're to return to the States early."

A million questions entered his mind. _Early_? It was barely a week early. _What was going on?_

The general handed him some papers. "You are to sail back home on the USS _Ronald Reagan_. From there, you'll be flown back to the east coast."

Zane cleared his throat.

Gray glanced up at him. "You have something to say, corporal?"

Zane gulped. It usually wasn't the best idea to question Isaac Gray. "Wouldn't it be faster to just send me on a plane?"

Gray gave him a hardened glance. "Maybe. But it would also be a lot easier for Liam Henry to track you down. And we don't need that happening."

Zane's heart thudded in his chest. "Liam Henry?"

The general's eyes were icy cold. "Just go home, soldier. And stay safe."

Zane numbly saluted and walked toward his bunk. _What had just happened?_

CA

Liam Henry yawned and rubbed his eyes before turning his attention back to the computer screen. He had been looking for a way to get to Corporal Zane Giovanni for nearly three days now. He knew Giovanni was within the military base, but didn't want to risk anything until he was assured of a way not to be caught. He needed to see Zane's blood emptying out of his body, knowing what it felt to lose your life without any hope remaining. But being caught would ruin everything.

Especially Juliana's justice.

He still had Avery Bennett and August Anderson to find, and he could never live with himself if he only half-avenged justice for Juliana.

Then, he saw it, on his screen. A memo from General Isaac Gray. Zane Giovanni was being sent home. For his own protection. On the USS _Ronald Reagan_.

And with that, Liam knew his opportunity. He would be able to avenge the death of Juliana, not only with the death of cocky Corporal Zane Giovanni, but also through the lives of countless American soldiers.

They were all at fault.

None of them had searched the dry Iraqi town for pieces of his daughter's body. None of them had come to Juliana's funeral. None of them had watched him grieve. Just a simple press release—the bearings of the military's course had been off, and they were immensely sorry for the loss of those 13 lives.

Liam didn't care about those lives. Just about Juliana.

She was gone.

Zane Giovanni would pay.

This would have to be the best bomb he'd ever made in his life.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** And here's the next part! Thanks so much for stinking with me so far… I've had so much fun writing this, and I'm so glad that so many of you loved reading it, too. :) Read, enjoy, review! :)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 10

Annie paused before entering tech ops, her hand stilled on the doorknob. She listened as Auggie cursed as he tripped over his chair, righting himself before crashing to the floor. A file slipped to the floor in the madness, and the papers slid across the floor in every direction.

She pushed the door open quickly and rushed to Auggie's side. "Are you okay?" she whispered, touching his forearm before bending to pick up the papers.

He resisted the urge to kick something. He had been cooped up for nearly a week straight. He wasn't taking it well.

That, coupled with Avery's constant worrying and the fact that they'd gotten no real progress from the intel Brady had provided —not to mention the fact that no angle he'd searched had provided any results—had put Auggie in a bad mood.

He huffed and plopped into his chair, resisting the urge to growl when the momentum of his actions caused the chair to spin around, increasing his headache.

Lovely.

Annie set the file on Auggie's desk, where it had been, and turned his chair to face her. "Auggie," she began softly.

He didn't attempt to sugarcoat his fowl mood as the focus of his gaze crossed hers before settling somewhere around her left shoulder.

She reached out and intertwined her fingers between his. "Auggie, talk to me," she urged quietly. "You're freaking me out a little, here."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Just a bad day," he said tersely.

"Worried about getting Liam?" she offered.

He grunted, and she knew that was part of it.

She squeezed his hand gently. "We'll get him, Aug. I promise." She paused. She noted the way his eyebrows pinched together toward the center of his forehead. "Headache?" she guessed again.

He reached for his bottle of water and swallowed a swig after popping two extra-strength Tylenol tablets into his mouth. "Bingo."

She caressed his hand gently, wishing he would let her in. "And I _know_ you just tripped over your chair. Probably stubbed your toe."

"That wasn't my fault."

She half-smiled sadly. "I know, Aug. Doesn't make the day better, though."

He grunted in reply.

Her mind returned to Auggie's living arrangements. They had Morse-code messaged the night before, too, and she knew it was getting increasingly difficult to deal with Avery. "Avery?" she ventured. "And being cooped up?"

He winced, as if she had hit a painful nerve. Pulled his hand away from hers. Tried to turn his chair to face his computer.

She turned the chair back around. "C'mon, bud," she whispered, reaching for his hands to pull him up.

"Where are we going?" he demanded.

"Somewhere," she replied.

"I can't leave that file out, Annie…"

She rolled her eyes. "Put it away, then. But you _are_ coming with me, whether you like it or not."

That managed to elicit a smirk. "I am, am I?"

She waited for him to lock the file away, then slid her arm through his. "We just need to make a pit-stop at my desk, real quick." As they did, Auggie wondered, _What is she up to?_

She retrieved something from a desk drawer, and led him out into the hallway. She pushed the Play button on the tape recorder and the sound of birds, the gentle wind blowing through trees, the buzz of DC traffic, and the general hum of humanity filled the air.

Auggie came to a halt. "Annie? What is that?"

She stopped, too, and paused the cassette player. "Close your eyes," she urged.

He gave her an incredulous look. "Annie, I'm blind, just in case you forgot. It's not going to make that much of a difference."

She rolled her eyes, not caring that he couldn't see. "Goodness gracious, Auggie, you're literal matter-of-factness is ruining the whole thing."

"Literal matter-of-factness?" he inquired with a smirk.

She slapped his upper arm playfully. "So, I make up words. Get over it, bright guy." She glared at him, a smile teasing at her lips. "And close your eyes."

He obliged, and she tugged him forward, playing the cassette once more. "After our first Morse-code late-night talk, I decided that there would be a time that you'd be itching to get out for those walks I know you love so much. So since you can't go to the walk, I decided to bring the walk to you."

He was touched by her thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Annie."

She grinned. "No problem, pal." They continued down the hallway. A few minutes into their walk, Annie slid her hand into his, intertwining their fingers. Their relationship was changing, but she wasn't sure what to think. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Auggie. All she did know was that she liked being with him. Loved his protection. Loved tugging that smile out of him on a rotten day. Loved, most of all, seeing his heart heal before her.

He reached over and kissed what he hoped was her cheek, guessing from her general position next to him. It was meant as a simple gesture of friendship, of thanks, but it was executed dangerously close to the corner of her lips.

He could feel her eyes holding his, and he could imagine the million questions. _He_ had a million questions assaulting _him_—he could only imagine what she was thinking. And his first question was _do you love me, Annie Walker?_

He was leaning in for a second kiss, his mind full of Annie and all the questions and certainties he'd had over the past week or two, when a whiney, belabored alto voice came over the cassette player.

"You know, Deb, I've been exercising for an hour _every_ day on the treadmill for the past six months! But any time I actually get off the treadmill and start walking in public, I always end up feeling like a weary banana peel…"

Auggie couldn't help laughing at the woman's proclamation as he pulled back a few inches. Annie giggled along with him.

The moment was gone.

"A weary banana peel?" he inquired, trying not to let his disappointment ruin his time with Annie.

She laughed. "I know. I was trying so hard not to laugh when I was recording it!"

They continued down the hall, sharing the silence (minus the cassette tape) and each other's company. When Annie returned him to tech ops, he had that permanent, smug grin lingering on his features, and she was happy she'd put it there.

She squeezed his shoulder gently as he sat back down at his desk. "Don't you go and have a bad day on me again," she warned with a teasing, hopeful smile.

He winked up at her, and she made her way out of tech ops, realizing that Auggie wasn't the only one to have a change in outlook.

CA

Stu glanced curiously toward the telephone on Auggie's desk. He had left a few moments to update Joan in her office, and now his telephone was ringing. _Why was Auggie's phone ringing?_

He hurried over to the desk, picking up the phone on the last ring before it would have gone to voicemail. "Smithsonian Institute," he said breathlessly. "How many I direct your call?"

A mechanical, metallic voice on the other end monotoned, "There's a bomb on the USS _Ronald Reagan_."

Stu glanced around tech ops frantically. _Where was Auggie?_ "Excuse me… a _bomb_?" he hissed.

"I didn't stutter," the voice returned, just as mechanical. "It's set to go off in exactly two hours."

Stu frantically glanced out into the DPD area, hoping desperately to see anyone who could help. He wasn't a super agent, and this _most definitely_ was not his area of expertise. "Two hours?" he squeaked out.

"Don't make me repeat myself," the voice said, this time with a little more vehemence added. Then, it evened back out to its monotone. "If you value the life of Corporal Zane Giovanni, you better get moving."

There was a pregnant pause. "Tick-tock."

Then the line went dead.

CA

The door to the interrogation room slammed open, the handle bouncing off the wall with its fierce velocity. Brady jumped and turned to see who had entered, his face showing his surprise to see a blind man entering, his folded-up cane gripped tightly in his hand.

The door slammed shut behind him, and he calmly walked to the chair across from Brady. The only clue as to the rage boiling within him was the angry twitch of his cheek. The man was calm, but menacing. In control. He appeared to be more like a force of nature than the agent that had interrogated him earlier.

Brady studied him curiously—the trepidation building—as the man sat down calmly and placed his cane on the table in front of them. _The calm before a storm._

"Where's Liam Henry?" he demanded, his even, controlled voice displaying his power. _Who _was_ this guy?_

"I—I don't know," Brady stuttered. "I told your friend already—Liam's _crazy_. He does what he wants, when he wants. When I left South Korea, he was set to arrive seven hours later. I told you everything I know, honest…"

"Where's the bomb?" Auggie pressed harder. _Zane was _not_ dying on his watch._

_Bomb?_ All the color drained from his face, not that it would have helped his cause. The man couldn't see. _Oh, Liam, what have you done?_ "What bomb?" he managed to squeak out.

The man shoved the table against his midsection, and Brady groaned. _Yep. Should have guessed that was coming_.

"He's your twin brother. You've helped him with his every plan. Do you _really_ expect me to believe that you're not in cahoots with him now? A bomb has been planted on the USS _Ronald Reagan_. _Where is it_?" Auggie ground out the last sentence like a promise. _Zane was _not_ dying on his watch._

Brady glanced fearfully back at his blind interrogator. "A bomb? On a Navy ship?" He groaned. _Liam, what have you done?_

The blind man let go of his grip on the table, and it returned to its place, a few inches from his stomach. Brady breathed in deeply, groaning as he doubled over.

The man was a monster.

"Don't play dumb," the man warned, that strength, that power, back in his voice. Grabbing his cane, he strode around the desk, his hand trailing the edge to keep his way. He grabbed Brady's head and dug his cane into Brady's carotid artery. "You know," he whispered into Brady's ear, "I've been trained in 213 different ways to kill you. Half of which would be excruciatingly painful." He paused for effect. "Now, Zane Giovanni is _not_ dying on my watch. _Where is that bomb?_"

Brady quivered underneath the man. "I—I don't _know!_ Don't you people listen? I don't want to be a part of what Liam's doing. I never did! I tried to ignore everything he did, stay away from it! He's _crazy!_"

Auggie dug his cane deeper into Brady's neck and whispered fiercely in his ear, "I don't believe you."

Pure fear enveloped Brady.

The crazed blind man was going to dig his carotid artery out of his throat with a _cane._ _Who does that?_

The door slammed open again. "Auggie, what are you doing?" a horrified woman screeched out.

At least, he was pretty sure it was a woman. He didn't want to risk a look. And the roaring in his ears made it a bit hard to tell.

She pulled the blind man away from him, and he gulped in deep breaths. The woman turned to the blind man. "Auggie…"

He flashed her an angry look. "Zane is _not_ dying on my watch, Annie," he ground out furiously.

She cupped his face with her hands, caressing his cheek gently. "I know," she whispered gently. "I know, Auggie. We won't let Zane die. I promise. I _promise_." Her voice shook with her fervency. "But this is _not_ the way to do it, 'kay?" she pled. "He doesn't know anything. At least, he doesn't think he does. The terror on his face…" Her voice dropped off. She was still reeling from seeing a glimpse at Super-Agent Auggie Anderson.

She slid her arm around his waist, tugging him close. He let her. Tried to forget the pulsing, white-hot fear that consumed him at the thought of Zane being blown up, in the middle of an ocean. _No_.

Annie slid her hand into his, and tugged him with her toward Brady. She propped her hip against the table. "Brady, we need to know where Liam is. I know you don't know much. But Zane Giovanni _cannot_ die on our watch. We need to keep him safe. Can you think of _anything?_ Where would Liam plant a bomb? What materials would he use? How would he detonate it? If you can help us, I'll try and put in a good word for you, so you can see your family again."

Hope sparked in his eyes. "My family?"

Annie nodded. "Yeah. But first, we need something. Something _good_."

Brady spent the next twenty minutes outlining exactly what type of bomb Liam would most likely build, and where he would place it. And where Liam might be.

With a squeeze to his shoulder, the girl, Annie, tugged the blind man out of the room.

Brady breathed deep, not sure whether he liked being alone any better. There was altogether too much uncertainty.

CA

Auggie's worry multiplied as he waited for someone to answer the telephone. If he couldn't help Zane, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

_Zane had to live_.

A man on the other side of the telephone line finally picked up. "I need to speak to Zane Giovanni," he barked out. "It's a matter of national security."

This time, it really was. _Hundreds of soldiers could die._ This was _not_ happening on his watch.

A few moments later, Zane picked up, and Auggie barked through the lines, "Zane, there is a bomb on that ship. I repeat, a _bomb_. Rigged to blow up the entire ship. This guy means business, Z."

_Why didn't you listen to me earlier?_ he groaned. Then, perhaps, all of this could have been averted.

Auggie painstakingly repeated all the details Brady had tried to remember, hoping it was enough. Location, triggers, bomb material, everything.

When Zane was saying good-bye, Auggie commanded, "Zane, _be careful_. Don't try and be a hero this time. That bomb is set to go off in less than an hour and a half, and from what our intel says, there is a good chance it'll go off at the slightest problem."

"Relax, Auggie," Zane replied. "I've done this a million times. Besides, I can't leave you and Lily to deal with Avery Gravery's wild conspiracy theories alone."

Auggie managed a smirk. "Be careful, Z."

"Bye, Auggie."

**A/N:** Review, please!


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I was so blown away by all your reviews for the last chapter! I'm glad you all liked it so much. :) I hope you like this one just as much!

And I hope the first section is okay… I know pretty much nothing about diffusing a bomb, lol, so I hope it didn't sound TOO simplistic.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 11

Zane sat in his bunk, his legs dangling over the edge of his bed as he fidgeted with the blankets on his perfectly-made bed. They had refused to let him search for the bomb. He wasn't quite sure why. They were expecting _him_ to diffuse the bomb—so why couldn't he look for it, too?

He growled at the thought of the guard posted outside of the room, to ensure it. Either Auggie had really increased security on him, or something else was up.

He'd tried to sweet-talk the guard into letting him join the search, but the man did his job well. He'd only given him an icy stare before Zane had returned to his bed, knowing he was defeated. His life as a bomb specialist, diffusing more bombs than there were days in a year, had prepared him for the danger, but not the waiting.

Usually, he was the one out there, searching out the bomb.

With another sigh, he resigned to his fate and went over the details Auggie had passed on to him. Either a series of bombs to take out of whole ship, or one lethal, strategically-placed doozy. Easily set-off. Probably on a timer. Apparently, Liam was looking forward to blowing all 384 of them to high heaven.

The bomb was probably very intricate. Intricate, he could do. Still, he was dreading this.

This man had a vendetta for revenge. That probably meant that it would be the worst bomb Zane had ever seen.

Not that he minded the challenge—reveled in it, in fact—but the idea that his life was on the line, with the possibility that this would be a bomb he'd never seen before… not to mention the fact that they might not even find the bomb in time. They were down to 34 minutes to find the thing.

_No pressure._

He sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled it through his mouth. He'd had panic attacks when he was a young boy, after his parents split up, and focusing on his breathing had always helped.

He couldn't do anything about this bomb yet. Breathing would help. He focused on the sound of the air inhaled and exhaled. In, out. In. Out. In. Out.

"Corporal Giovanni?"

Zane glanced up to find the guard peaking into his room. "They found the bomb. They're requesting you come now."

He hopped off his bed and strode to the door. 23 minutes. "Where is it?" he asked.

"The main one that causes the rest to trigger is directly under the mess hall. They believe that once you disarm the main bomb, all the rest will be disarmed, as well. They're not entirely sure how many bombs in all. They have located five so far."

Zane whistled through his teeth. _This was already a nightmare._

He climbed into his bomb suit, knowing they wouldn't let him close to the bomb without it. The guard, Daniel Brishaw, guided him through the confusing passageways on the ship until they reached their destination. Major Anthony Russo was waiting for him at the entrance to the room.

"You ready for this, son?" the man asked.

Zane nodded from within the bulky suit. "Born ready, sir."

Major Russo smiled slightly, proud, and clasped Zane's left shoulder. "Be careful in there, son."

Zane nodded once. "You should evacuate everyone as far away from this room as possible. Escape procedures are ready?"

The major nodded once in reply. "Everything's in order."

Zane and the major shared a meaningful look, and Russo called out, "Be careful, son!" before Zane disappeared into the room.

He tiptoed to the center of the room, feeling slightly woozy when he saw the enormous bomb in the center of the room. A panel shone "19:42" in eerie, bold red numbers.

The tangled mess of wires set him off again. He breathed in deeply, trying to regain control. Then out. In, out. In. Out. In. Out…

He forced the fear out. He studied the bomb like a puzzle he should know the answer to. Blue wires, white wires, red wires, green wires, black wires, orange wires… all leading to their own spot. The bomb was more complicated than any other he had ever studied in his entire life.

_Oh, God, help me,_ he muttered. He was usually not a praying man, but it was moments like these that he wondered if he should put stalk in Avery's God. It would be nice to have a supernatural Father guiding his movements now.

Of course, he would never let Avery know that. The man would be elated.

As he studied the bomb, though, he began noticing similarities between this bomb and another he had diffused in Iraq a year after Auggie's accident. Working quickly—both to save time and to ignore his questions, his regrets—he snipped the red wire. The timer jumped to six minutes.

_Oh, joy._

Sweat beading on his brow, he frowned and returned his thoughts to his task at hand. He peeled back the green sheath on the green wire, and attached the ride wire to the green one. Snipped the white wire. The black wire. Attached the white and black wires. Snipped the blue wire.

He glanced at the timer. 5:37. 5:36. 5:35. 5:34… And it stopped.

_Bomb diffused_.

Starting to remove the bomb suit, he walked to where Major Russo had refused to budge. "We're safe again, sir," he reported, and the man's taut shoulders relaxed. They were safe.

Major Russo and Zane walked to the sites of the other seven bombs that had been located. All had been disarmed with the diffusing of the most important bomb.

When he returned top deck, he retrieved his cell phone from Daniel Brishaw, who was with the rest of the soldiers. Thanking him, he dialed a well-known number. After a moment, he said, "Auggie? Bomb diffused. I'm on my way home."

CA

Annie dragged an extra chair from a cubicle to where Auggie sat at his desk and slipped in, right next to him. "Hey," she whispered.

He had known it was her. He had smelled that sweet grapefruit that followed her everywhere she went, and he had heard the distinctive sound of her heels against the floor. Still, he hadn't looked up from where he was, his head buried in his hands on his desk.

_They had failed Zane._

It had only been half an hour since he had talked to Zane. And Zane was one of the best bomb specialists the country had. Still… he couldn't help feeling that he had betrayed his friend. He should have insisted that Zane come home right away. They should have been able to get more out of Brady.

But none of that had happened. Now, Zane would die.

He'd learned quickly that pacing was no good to him now—it was too easy to bump into things, to get disoriented—especially if he was worried or his mind was on other things.

So he sat. Head in his hands, his stomach in knots, his brain playing tricks on him.

Then, Annie came, and she sat next to him and whispered, "Hey," like she could read his mind and know every worry that resided there.

He lifted his head. "Hey," he returned, not exactly feeling very talkative at the moment.

She reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. With her free hand, she opened the documents she had been translating for Joan. She rested their hands together against his knee, and before she turned to work on the translation, her words from Toledo came back to her. _Auggie, I may not be able to make all the evil things go away, but I won't leave you to battle them alone. I promise._

She glanced at his tortured face and knew it was a promise she could never break, not even if she wanted to—which she most definitely didn't.

She studied his face—the way his hair curled deliciously around his face, framing it; the warmth behind his weary, unseeing chocolate eyes; the power behind his strong jaw, gritting in his worry; the helplessness, the vulnerability, the worry, the genuine openness. She had seen that face a million times—maybe not always so vulnerable, but she _knew_ that face. She knew _Auggie_. And yet, things were changing between them.

Her mind returned to the near-kiss the afternoon before, the desire in his eyes, the questions. Did he—

She dismissed the thoughts quickly, worried that entertaining them, thinking about a future with Auggie like that, would ruin the best thing that had ever happened to her. She'd had friends growing up, but no one as close as Auggie. Auggie understood her, supported her, guided her, refused to leave her. She wouldn't mess that up.

She turned back to her file silently.

When Auggie realized she wasn't going to speak, he asked, "Annie… don't get me wrong—I'm glad you're here. But _why_ are you here?"

She glanced up at him and stared deep into his eyes. "Auggie, I promised to _never_ make you battle the evil things alone. Keep doing whatever you were doing. But I'm gonna hang out in here for a while."

A slow, relieved smile tilted his features, and she smirked back at him, glad there was some way that she could help him, after all he had done for her in the past two years. She squeezed his hand, to get the message through.

He returned to resting his head on his free arm, resting on his desk, and she continued her translation. Tried to, anyway. Holding Auggie's hand, his nearness, thoughts of the kiss that hadn't been—they all proved to be quite distracting. Yet, she tried to focus on the task at hand. _Get Auggie through the day. Finish the translation._

They stayed that way for the next forty-five minutes, Auggie drawing courage and strength from Annie's silent support, Annie promising to never leave his side.

There was no real sense of passing time, but Auggie slowly found that his thoughts had changed from worrying about Zane and the 383 other people on that ship to Annie, her hand in his, as she silently worked. Once again, he found that she was rescuing him from his demons. _How did that come so easily for her?_

He couldn't say that he minded. And he was oh-so-glad that she was there.

His mind, too, returned to the kiss—or near-kiss, anyway. What would have happened if that woman's voice hadn't interrupted them? What if he had kissed Annie properly? How would their relationship be different now? Would he regret it? Would _she?_

She absentmindedly ran her thumb across the back of his hand, caressing it, and he wondered if she knew the power she held over him. _Annie…_ he protested silently. He felt the overwhelming urge to reach for her, to claim her lips in his kiss…

The telephone rang, pulling him out of his reverie. He reached for it, silently cursing its timing, and Annie squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Smithsonian Institute," he answered, clearing his throat. "How may I direct your call?"

"Auggie?" the voice returned. "Bomb diffused. I'm on my way home."

Relief trickled through every inch of his body. _Zane was safe._

Auggie hung up the phone and turned to Annie, cocking his heartbreaker smile. "Zane's on his way home."

She squeezed his hand again. "The bomb's diffused?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He was still trying to clear his mind after his thoughts of Annie. He grinned like a fool anyway. Zane was safe. He was coming home.

Annie cupped his face with her hands and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad, Auggie," she whispered, lingering longer than was probably necessary. (She blamed it on the heady scent of his cologne, the sweet combination of their friendship and something more, and the sight of a truly happy Auggie—something she hadn't seen for a long time.) Then she remembered the bumps on his forehead, feeling their tenderness beneath her touch, and she jumped back. "Oh, I didn't hurt you, did I?" she whispered apologetically.

Tentatively, she reached forward and brushed his hair back, gently caressing the bump that was an ugly bruise with a little remaining swollenness. She hissed quietly through her teeth, imagining the pain it had caused earlier.

"Nothing I can't handle," he replied with an easy grin, infusing that easy teasing back into the mood.

She sat back with relief, grinning at him, not caring that he couldn't see. "Good."

He scooted his chair back. "C'mon, let's go tell Joan the good news."

She replaced the chair in its proper cubicle, and, carrying the file in her right arm, she looped her left arm through Auggie's. Liam Henry was still out there, somewhere in the world—and that somewhere was probably not South Korea anymore.

Yet, the lives of 384 patriots had been saved today. And a relieved Auggie was whistling softly next to her.

And if that wasn't cause for celebration, she wasn't sure what was.

CA

Zane threw his duffle bag across his shoulder as he glanced through his room. Nothing left behind.

Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the top deck, saluting Major Russo when they met at the plane. After the bomb, they weren't taking anymore chances. Zane Giovanni needed to get home.

Major Russo saluted him back. "Thank you for all you've done here, Corporal Giovanni," he said seriously.

Zane nodded. "No problem, sir. It is my pleasure to serve America."

Russo reached out to shake his hand. "It is my pleasure," he returned. "You're a good soldier and a great man."

Zane tried to ignore the blush creeping up his neck. He never handled compliments very well.

Sensing Zane's discomfort, the man offered, "Stay safe, soldier."

Zane saluted the man respectfully and boarded the plane. Destination Langley.

CA

Liam slid the keycard into the slot of the hotel room door, twisting the handle as he pushed the door open. Home-sweet-home until his flight to Virginia the next morning.

He deposited his suitcase against the wall and found the television remote. He turned the television on and flipped through channels until he found the news. A reporter was standing on deck of the USS _Ronald Reagan_, holding a microphone and looking into the camera.

"Michael, eleven hours ago, a series of bombs were discovered onboard the _Ronald Reagan_, assumed to be an attempt by William Henry, an Irish man with ties to the IRA and al Qaeda, who has been on a rampage to revenge the death of his daughter, Juliana. She was killed in a raid-gone-wrong, and he has been targeting a team of four soldiers who had been working in Iraq almost four years ago. He has been working with his twin brother, Braden Henry, who is now in the custody of the US government."

Liam cursed. _Brady had been arrested?_ Oh, joy. The little twerp had never wanted to cooperate. He was probably blabbing everything he knew to his mortal enemy.

He turned his attention back to the report.

The woman turned to look at most of the ship behind her. "Corporal Zane Giovanni, one of the men being targeted by Henry, was able to disarm the bombs before the entire ship was blown up. He's been credited with saving the lives of the 384 soldiers on board the _Ronald Reagan_. He has now been flown to safety, and is with the two remaining members of his former team."

His picture flashed up on the screen, next to the woman. "If you have any details about his whereabouts, you should contact the police…"

Liam cursed as he turned off the television and threw the remote against the wall. _Not good._

He sat down, to think. This was unraveling _way_ too fast. All thanks to that blond, too.

_At least I'm headed in the right direction,_ he thought, thinking of his plane ticket to Virginia. The bad part was—his picture had been flashed across national television. How would he get through security in an airport? Even if his passport said that he was Titus O'Howell from Queensland, Australia—that wouldn't mean anything. They would find him. How would he get across the country from California to the capital of the country?

He pulled out his phone and dialed a former friend.

He wasn't afraid of calling in favors when it counted.

**A/N:** Lovedlovedloveddddd all the reviews last time… review again, pretty please?


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Second to last chapter! I can't believe this has gone so fast… but thank you all for sticking with me. :) I hope the last part of this isn't too simplistic… I tried, but I never really did any suspense/action writing before—not like this, anyway—so I felt like I was grasping at straws. So review, pretty please! I'd love to know how you think everything came together, and how it all turned out… if you were pleasantly surprised, disappointed, whatever. :) Thanks!

I hope to have the last chapter up tomorrow—if not, then definitely before the weekend is over!

And Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! (Even though it's mostly over by now, hehe.)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

Chapter 12

Auggie, Avery, and Zane piled out of the jet-black SUV, laughing in unison at one of Zane's jokes. The three hadn't been together and free for nearly four years, and Joan had given them leave to go to lunch together, under the guidance of quite a few strategically-placed CIA agents and a couple cop cars for extra protection.

When it came to Auggie Anderson, Joan Campbell didn't play around.

When Auggie had asked where they were going, they had all insisted he decide. It was easier for him to maneuver in familiar territory, after all, and he was able to make suggestions for better security.

Cop cars were positioned outside each entrance of the hamburger joint, and an agent sat conveniently at each entrance. An agent was positioned at their table, and one at the table nearest them.

Not exactly freedom, but a lot better than delivered sub sandwiches to their safe house.

When a pretty young waitress Auggie knew as Nell came to take their order, Zane attempted to flirt. "Hey, pretty lady," he said, and Auggie and Avery stifled their laughter. "Are you a star? Because you light up the night sky."

Nell smirked while Auggie and Avery burst out laughing, not being able to hold it in any longer. Nell nudged Auggie with her hip conspiratorially. "Where'd you get this guy, Aug? He's a keeper."

Auggie smirked up at her. "Yeah… talking to girls isn't really his strong suit," he informed her. "We've been working on that for the past years, and I'm starting to think it might be a lost cause."

Zane's cheeks flamed in embarrassment, as usual. Zane was good (even great) at a great many things—diffusing bombs, being a good friend, a great godfather to Charlie, a gentleman, funny, smart—but he had never been good with ladies, in any stretch of the imagination.

Still, Auggie had an inkling that Noelle would be good for Zane. Build up the good in him, give him confidence. Accept his quirks and his ridiculous inability to flirt. Help him find a girl he so sorely needed. Auggie made a mental note to introduce them after Noelle had had time to grieve the loss of Rory.

Nell studied Zane with a smile. "Ahh—" she paused, trying to figure out what to say. "I see," she finally said, lamely, glancing somewhat apologetically at a mortified Zane.

Deciding to try and give Zane a break, he turned his head in Nell's general direction, and said with a lingering grin, "I'll have my usual, Nell."

She nodded and began to write. "Cheeseburger, well done, fries, barbecue sauce, and a Coke." She turned to the other two. "Have you decided yet?"

Avery answered for the two of them. "Same as Auggie. Except nix the barbecue sauce." They smirked, and Avery nudged Auggie's left elbow with a laugh. After all the meals they had eaten together, Auggie's affinity for barbecue sauce with his fries had always confused and amused them. Somehow, it had turned into one of the many jokes they shared between themselves.

Nell nodded, jotted it down on her paper tablet, and walked away, promising their drinks soon.

After she was out of earshot, Auggie and Avery returned their teasing, and Zane rolled his eyes before accepting the criticism. After a few minutes of it, he managed to get a word in. "Harr-harr," he said. "Very funny. Since when did we agree that it was okay to stop talking about Avery's crazy conspiracies?"

Auggie snorted, a laugh right behind it. "Did you know he almost took Annie out with a baseball bat?"

Zane threw Avery a confused and amused look. "Annie? The young cheerleader that hangs on Aug's every word?"

Avery's face flamed. After Zane had come back to them, safe and sound, his conspiracies had left again, quickly as they had come, and he was royally embarrassed to have threatened the one person Auggie had sent to help him and his family.

Auggie grinned. "That's her. Or so I've been told, anyway…"

Zane and Avery clamped their mouths shut. The four of them had been closer than brothers in Iraq—still were, after all this time apart—but they still weren't sure how to deal with Auggie's blindness. Not like Rory had, anyway.

Awkwardly, Avery tried to defend herself. "I sent you guys the emails—how was I supposed to know? She _could_ have been working with that creep!"

Auggie and Zane laughed. "Not likely, dude," Zane retorted.

Nell returned with their food and drinks and took her leave, after letting Auggie know where she had left the barbecue sauce bottle on the table.

As they ate their meal, they continued to laugh and talk, and a few moments after they began eating, Auggie tried to excuse himself to use the bathroom. The agent at the table, Bailey Nordstrom, stood with Auggie, let the agents know what was happening over their coms, and checked the bathroom for other customers and locked windows. When he was sure it was safe, he let Auggie in, and stood in front of the door to keep other customers out.

CA

Auggie was reaching to push the bathroom door open when he heard the _fthwt, fthwt, fthwt, fthwt_ of a gun. Silencer. Screams of panic echoed across the store. A man with a very Irish voice rang out over the ensuing panic, "Shut up! And don't move!"

_Liam had found them._

Cold, unadulterated fear coursed through his veins. Zane and Avery were out there. Unprotected. Alone. No backup.

He figured he had no choice but to assume that the four shots had instantly killed the four agents sent along to protect the three of them. He tried to inch open the door, to try and hear better, but something was blocking the door. _Nordstrom's body?_

He silently let the door fall shut and reached for his cell phone, glad he had it. Even more glad that he had remembered to charge it the night before.

He pressed the number 2 speed dial, praying Annie would answer. When she did, it sounded like she had just taken a huge bite of something. "Heh-woha?" A pause. "Ahh-ghee?"

He fought off the desire to smile. Zane and Avery needed the help he could get. If those four shots had taken out all four agents immediately, then there was a very good likelihood that all the cops patrolling outside the restaurant were dead now, as well. He fought the urge to curse. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

"Annie," he whispered, his voice hurried and low. "We need back up, _now_. Liam is here. He killed our protective detail. I was in the bathroom when it happened. Annie, we need you here five minutes ago!"

She was sure her heart had stopped beating when she heard those three words. _Liam is here._ White-hot fear coursed through her. He _couldn't_ have Auggie. Couldn't! Her voice trembled as she said, "Hold on, soldier boy. We're on our way. I'm finding Joan right now—"

Before she could say anything else, she heard the Irish accent over the telephone line. "Well look-ey what we have here! A Mr. August Anderson! I've been lookin' for ye, lad!"

Annie heard a grunt before Auggie cursed in protest.

Then, the line was dead.

_I'm coming, Auggie…_

CA

When Annie and the rest of the team arrived, a little over ten minutes later, the four—Auggie, Avery, Liam, and Zane—were still sitting at the table. Liam's gun rested on the table, loose in his grasp, like a warning. "Take your time, boy-o, eat, rejoice, and be merry. For this is to be yer last meal!" he had said with a drunken laugh.

By now, Zane was tapping his feet against the floor anxiously, his anger rising that there was nothing he could do. Avery was so petrified that he looked like he was about to pass out. Auggie and Zane would be surprised if he didn't. Auggie ate his meal, calmly, used to the threats that came with being a spy. This time, though, he knew that the outcome didn't have much of a chance of a favorable outcome.

Annie's heart lurched into her throat at the sight of Auggie, subdued, sandwiched between Liam and Avery. _No_! She wanted to cry. She thought she wouldn't be able to move her feet. They felt glued to the pavement as Jai and several others prepared for the entrance.

_I think I'm falling in love with you,_ she wanted to cry. She felt like a lost little girl in the middle of a huge mall at Christmastime. So many people, so many places to go, but all she wanted to do was cry.

"Annie!" Jai called to her, and she snapped out of her reverie. Today, she wasn't a love-sick girl, dreaming of forever. She couldn't be. _Today_, she was Annie Walker, CIA operative. She accepted the Kevlar vest from Jai, and then the gun. She made sure it was loaded properly, and fell into the circle of agents, discussing their tactics behind the SUV.

When Jai finished ordering commands, they quickly filed around the SUV and into the restaurant. "Down on the ground! Down on the ground!" they shouted, and the remaining patrons willingly did so, whimpers of fear escaping the lips of a few of them.

Liam stared at Annie icily, lifted his gun. The _fthwt_ zinged through the air, grazing Zane's arm painfully and reaching its target—the agent right in front of Annie. Zane cursed loudly and grabbed his arm, putting pressure on the wound. The bullet vest had prevented the agent from any serious injury, but it was enough of a distraction for Liam to jump to his feet and run into the back kitchen, throwing pots and pans and trash cans behind his trail.

Annie looked up in time to see him getting away. _Over my dead body_, she vowed silently, taking off after him. The mess he left in his wake made it harder to follow his trail, but she made her way, and as she pushed open the door for the emergency exit, she caught sight of Liam charging into an alleyway, discarding his jacket as he went.

She charged after him.

Auggie would live in fear no longer. Of that, she was sure.

**A/N:** Review, please!


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Final chapter! And I'm SO proud of how this turned out, haha, I really hope you like it as much as I loved writing it!

I still can't believe all the reviews and alerts and favorites I received—I feel so honored, haha. I would pretty pretty please love to know what you think of this final installment! :))))))

Without further ado…

**Disclaimer:** Not mine! Still!

Chapter 13

Annie ran into the alleyway, stopping short when she didn't see Liam.

_Oh, no_. She cursed. This could _not_ be happening. Auggie couldn't live like this for much longer. _She_ couldn't live like this for much longer.

Then she noticed him, just rounding the corner out of the alley. She charged forward, chasing him into a maze of dilapidated factory buildings under construction. _So many hazards,_ she managed to think as she followed him into a loading area. Sheets of plastic hung from the ceiling to the cement floor, and she had no clue where he went.

A crisp footfall. To her right, up ahead.

She followed the sound.

He began to run. Found a flight of stairs.

She pushed open the door that led to the stairs. She surveyed the area, even as she took the stairs two at a time, ducking his bullets.

When she reached the third floor, the floor she _knew_ Liam had gotten off on, she silently cursed when she saw sheets of plastic here, too. How was she supposed to find him?

She heard a shout from the other end of the floor, now cleared out from walls, furniture, everything but the plastic and the three people that were now on the floor. She could hear shouts below them, as men were pouring cement outside the building. "Sir! What are you doing? You can't be up h—"

Three rounds split the air, and Annie had no doubt that the man was dead.

She felt sick to her stomach.

Pushing the feeling aside, she quickly made her way through the plastic, staying as quiet as she could. After she emerged from the third flap of plastic, she found she was face-to-face with Liam Henry, cold-blooded serial terrorist.

Time seemed to stop. They stared each other down coldly. Annie gripped the gun Jai had given her tighter. He was right in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, and he had nowhere else to go.

He lifted his weapon, but before he had a chance to fire, he was tripping over a box behind him, falling back into the window as three rapid-fire rounds followed in quick succession into his chest. With a torturous yelp, he fell through the window and toppled over the back end of the cement truck, twisting and contorting on his way down, breaking his neck on the trough. The momentum from his journey down was just enough to impale him on the rebar as he hit the ground. But he was already dead.

Annie bit back a sob and the sickness, forcing herself to run. She needed to get back to Auggie before the police arrived.

CA

By the time Annie arrived back at the burger joint, she was sobbing as she ran. She had wanted justice for Liam, wanted to see him caught—even wanted the creep _dead_, but not _that_ way. It had been so horrific, so gruesome. She didn't think she'd ever get the image of impaled, lifeless Liam out of her head.

She ran into the restaurant, frantically searching for any indication of her friends and fellow agents—particularly Auggie.

The restaurant was empty. EMTs, police, and firemen were swarming the area in front of the restaurant. Joan had arrived, and Jai was filling her in on what had happened. Zane was being rushed to the hospital for the shot that grazed his arm, and Avery was mumbling off conspiracy theories, like he was in a trance.

Then she spotted Auggie. Sitting on the gurney, his legs dangling over the side. He was staring off into space, and his cane was setting next to him.

Choking back a sob, she ran to him, calling his name. He only had the strangled sound of his name being called and a waft of grapefruit as a warning before soft lips met his, before soft hands framed his face. _Annie?_

Oh, yes, it was definitely Annie. The passion, the hesitancy, the fear, the unabashed love… who else could it be? As her lips moved hungrily over his, he responded in kind, every desire over the past few weeks resurrected. Annie, in his arms. Could there be anything more perfect?

She pulled away, slipping into his embrace, burying her face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. She choked on a sob, and his heart lurched into his throat. _What had she seen when she had gone to chase Liam?_

"Liam's dead," she whispered, and he hugged her tighter. Kissed the top of her head. Rubbed her back as she continued. "I—I was chasing him. I guess I was the first to see him leave. I chased him to this construction site, up to the third floor of this building… he was a-about to sh-shoot me, so I shot first. He f-fell through the window, onto the cement truck… and then he was impaled by the rebar. I—I wanted him put away, but I didn't want to see him die like th-that…"

He held her close as she cried, rubbing her back. Annie didn't deserve to see that—she was too good for that. And yet, the idea of truly being free again felt so liberating. _Thank you, Annie,_ he wanted to say. The words were right on his lips.

Then Joan's words interrupted. "Annie?"

Quickly, Annie sprang away from him, drying her eyes, and he immediately missed the feeling of her in his arms. Instead, he tried to focus on what Joan was saying to them. "Annie, I'm going to need to take you back to Langley, to debrief. Auggie, you're staying here. I need you checked out. I can't have my best guy falling apart on the job."

Auggie wanted to protest. "But—nothing happened to m—"

She sent him a pointed look, knowing, somehow, it got through. "Auggie. Not this time. We can't afford to lose you."

With that, Joan led Annie off, and he was sitting alone again.

CA

Lily and Charlie were waiting on the front porch when Annie drove Avery and all his stuff up to the guesthouse. When he stepped out of her little red car, Lily stood to her feet and ran to greet her husband, Charlie babbling the whole way.

Annie watched as they kissed, and Lily cried. She watched as Avery comforted Lily, and then as he lifted Charlie into the air, kissing his cheek on the way down.

She turned away when tears filled her eyes. Would she ever have that? _Could_ she have that with Auggie?

She dried her eyes. True, she and Auggie had shared that kiss two days ago, but in between debriefings, visits to Zane and Avery, not to mention Dani's overbearing presence, and the girls' nosiness, she and Auggie hadn't had a chance to talk about it. What was worse was the fact that it seemed like Auggie didn't _want_ to talk about it.

She _loved_ him—she was sure of it, now. Did he feel the same? After Ben's death and finding out everything between her and Jai had seemingly been a ruse to get closer to her—to Ben—she wasn't ready to risk her heart on someone who couldn't—wouldn't—treasure it. It's true—she was strong. But she was also a girl. Didn't Auggie, and the rest of the world, see that?

They were knocking on her window, and she cleared her throat self-consciously. Pushed open the door slightly. "Yeah?"

"Annie, when can we go home?" Lily asked. "We miss the church. We've already told you everything we know. Liam's gone."

Annie managed a smile for her. Between the last week or so, they had become good friends. Handed her the tickets. "You have a plane waiting to take you home. Three-twenty this afternoon. That soon enough for you?"

Lily and Avery shared a grin, and he kissed his wife's cheek. "Told you, babe," he whispered, and she leaned against him, one of the happiest smiles Annie had seen yet covering her face. Charlie babbled happily, and all traces of worry and conspiracies were gone from Avery's face. He had faced certain death, but he had bounced back quickly.

It astonished Annie that he could live with both so much fear and so much happiness, almost back-to-back. She had always been one for living life to the fullest, but something about Avery's life-to-the-fullest intrigued her. He was different, somehow.

She stepped out of her car. "Since it's almost 12:30 now, do you want to grab your stuff and put it in the car? We can grab lunch before I drop you off."

Lily reached out and hugged Annie. "Thank you, Annie," she said quietly.

Annie smiled. "You're welcome."

"No… I mean, thank you for it all. For keeping Avery safe, for giving me my husband back—not just some conspiracy theorist, always looking over his shoulder. For being our friend in the middle of it all."

Annie squeezed her hand. "I know. You're welcome."

Avery tugged her toward the guesthouse, to get everything they had packed up. Annie watched them as she went. And oh, how she wished that someday, she could have what Lily and Avery had.

CA

Zane found Auggie in the cafeteria at Langley, eating a sandwich. Auggie usually didn't like eating there—the food had gotten old very quickly, and it was _so _noisy. It was hard to hear specific noises that helped guide him. This time, however, he was hoping that the noise would help him drown out the thoughts in his head. Annie had kissed him.

Not that he minded. He'd loved it, actually. Wanted her _back_ in his arms. He just didn't know how to talk to her, how to tell her that he loved her. He didn't want to disappoint her or break her heart. She'd faced so much already. With Annie, he felt things he hadn't felt in a long time, and the worry of messing it up was killing him. It was all he had been thinking of, and he needed a distraction. The noise of the cafeteria helped.

Barely, but it helped.

Zane smirked at the completely lost, completely frustrated look on his friend's face as he sat down across from Auggie. "Wow. You look like you're trying to solve one of Avery's conspiracy theories," he quipped.

Auggie jumped. Usually he could hear when someone approached. Now, however, he was lost in thoughts of Annie and the noise of the cafeteria. "Oh, Zane." He hadn't heard him approach. He sighed and relaxed.

"What's the matter with you?"

Auggie reached for one of his potato chips. "Girl trouble," he finally admitted.

Zane flashed him an amused, curious look. "August Anderson? With girl trouble? Has the world come to an end?"

Auggie scowled at him. "Harr-harr."

Zane stared at Auggie seriously, knowing that his friend couldn't see, but somehow, he knew the message got across to Auggie. "Who's this girl?" he asked, all seriousness now.

He sighed, pushing away from the tray. "Annie."

He said her name softly, almost like a frustrated, reverent prayer. Suddenly, it all made sense to Zane. "What's the trouble?" he asked, already knowing that Auggie loved her.

"She kissed me," he finally said.

"And that's a problem?" Zane asked, nearly incredulous. "You're crazy about her, Aug. We all know it. And I haven't seen you for about three years. I barely met Annie, and I know it."

Auggie took a swig from his bottle of water. "You don't know her like I do, though."

"What's to know? You're crazy about her, and she's crazy about you. Love doesn't have to be complicated, dude."

"You don't know her," Auggie insisted again. "She's been hurt so many times. I—I just don't want to hurt her, too."

Zane held back a laugh. If Auggie wasn't so pathetically lost right now, he would have. The idea of Auggie Anderson with girl problems was preposterous as it was, but he seemed to be blowing this way out of the water. _Did love really make him this blind?_ "Aug, you're not going to hurt Annie. You may be a scoundrel, but you're not an idiot. Annie's way too much of a jewel—we all know it—and if you care about her that much, you're not going to mess it up."

"But… what if it doesn't work out?"

Zane actually laughed this time. "Are you serious? How could it _not_ work out? You guys are practically like an old married couple already."

Auggie rolled his eyes.

"Aug, listen to me," Zane said. "I don't know why you're having so many doubts about this. But _talk_ to her. All this worrying is only going to make her more confused. She wouldn't have kissed you if she doesn't like you."

Auggie seemed to be considering what he was saying, so Zane reached for his tray. "C'mon," he said. "I'll drive you to her."

Auggie reached for his cane and stood to his feet. "Okay." The idea of being away from Annie any longer seemed like torture, anyway.

CA

They found Annie, nearly two hours later, sitting by herself at a picnic table in a local playground, wearing a floral skirt, coral blouse, and a cardigan sweater to match. She looked forlorn and confused, chin resting against a fist, as she stared out into space.

Zane guided Auggie to the table, then asked if he wanted him to stay. Auggie shook his head no, and Zane nodded, taking his leave.

"Annie?" Auggie asked, sitting across from her at the table. At least, he hoped he was sitting across from her. He reached his hand out, inadvertently brushing the back of his fingers against her elbow.

"Yeah, Aug?" she asked after a long pause. She didn't take his hand, and he slowly retracted it. _Was it just him, or did it sound like she had been crying?_ He groaned on the inside. _Smooth, Anderson._

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you," he began. "I—I just don't know what to say."

"How 'bout just being honest, Aug?" she asked, her voice sounding tortured. "'I don't love you that way, Annie,' would have been fine. Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take it."

Horror filled him. _Is that what she really thought? Had he waited too long?_ "No… Annie, that's not what I—I don't… Annie…"

"What, Aug? Just say it."

"I love you, Annie," he whispered, and it was so soft she didn't think she heard him correctly.

"What?" she asked, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered again, this time a little louder. "Not just as a friend or a pal. I've fallen head-over-heals, crazy in love with you. I just haven't known how to tell you. I was so sure that's not how you felt."

He once again reached out to her, and she intertwined their fingers. He caressed her hand, and she couldn't believe how much she'd missed that. _Auggie…_ She decided to voice her thoughts. "Auggie, I—I love you, too," she whispered. "I'm crazy in love with you."

He awkwardly scrambled out of his seat, never letting go of her hand, and as he came around to her side of the picnic table, he tugged her to her feet. "C'mere," he whispered, tugging her close. The only thing separating them was the picnic table bench. He captured her lips in a sweet kiss, this one free from all the fear and desperation. Just Annie and Auggie and their sweet love.

Her hands came up to frame his face, and he smiled into the kiss, barely believing his luck. Annie _loved_ him. Could there be anything more perfect in the whole world?

Annie pulled away regretfully, leaning her forehead against his. "I love you," she whispered, staring into the depths of his chocolate eyes. She could see a whole new beautiful world there.

"I love you," he echoed. He couldn't believe how liberating it felt to say it.

"Say it again," she pled, memorizing his face. She'd seen it a million times before, but now, with the declarations of love and being in Auggie's arms… it was like she was seeing him for the first time.

"I love you," he whispered again, his lips curling into a tender smile meant just for her, as he captured her lips in another kiss.


End file.
